What's the Buzz About Honey?

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I practically grew up on Winnie the Pooh. When I think back on my favorite memories of that show, I don’t think about Winnie’s relationship with his friends or the lessons that I learned, I think about the characteristic that we both shared: our love for honey.

Honey, the thick, golden liquid produced from the nectar of flowering plants by busy bees, is stored inside of beehives to be eaten during times of scarcity.

When I think of bees, I think of tiny insects buzzing in my ears, but without bees, our food supply would suffer.

When bees gather nectar from flowers, they help pollinate them. Almost every fruit we eat, from apples to almonds, are pollinated by bees, said Dennis VanEngelsdorp, an associate professor in the entomology department at the University of Maryland.

The nectar that bees extract from flowers mixes with enzymes that change the honey’s chemical structure, pH and water content. This occurs in the distention of the bee’s esophagus called the honey stomach. The low pH and water content in the esophagus allows unprocessed honey to last so long. The honey that bees make is their main source of food, especially during the winter. The honey that we consume is the excess honey produced.

The President of the UMD Beekeeping Club, Ethan MacDonald, said, “Beekeepers never take the honey needed to sustain the bees.”

“Beekeepers make sure to take only the excess honey from bees by using a piece of equipment called a super. Supers are wooden boxes which are placed on top of an existing beehive in the spring when flowers are blooming,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald further explained: “A special grate called a queen excluder is placed between the top of the hive and the super box for a few reasons. The queen excluder has holes that are just the right size so that the worker bees, which make honey, can fit through, but the queen bee, which lays the baby bees (called brood) cannot fit through.”

Brood boxes are filled first and the excess are stored in supers. Beekeepers harvest the excess in the supers, MacDonald said.

In addition to its great taste, honey has so many health benefits. Honey can help build immunity and fight against the symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis is an inflammation of the nose that occurs when the immune system reacts to allergens in the air.

Honey also promotes wound healing because it has antibacterial and antiseptic qualities and is a good remedy for coughs. Local honey contains minerals and vitamins that act as antioxidants which help strengthen the immune system.

Antioxidants are found in foods that many of us eat every day, like carrots, apples, green, leafy vegetables and beans, but a lot of antioxidants are in local honey, like vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin C, zinc and selenium. Honey can help protect your heart by reducing bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides and increasing good cholesterol (HDL).

Honey is a healthier option than artificial sweeteners due to these benefits.

There are so many ways to incorporate honey into your diet, like using it as a sweetener, as a glaze for chicken or fish, on toast or in a salad. Honey is so versatile!

“[Honey] is an ingredient in tropical moisturizers, a way to soothe coughs and sore throats,” said Isabella Dang, a dietetic intern at UMD.

“Even though honey is great, it should also be eaten in moderation in order to not take in too much sugar,” Dang said.

Eating honey in excessive amounts like Winnie did is not advisable.

To summarize, not all honey is the same nutritionally, and it is better to buy local honey instead of commercial brands.

Neil Vosters, a local apiarist and the owner of Randalia Bee Hives, said, “You want raw honey, meaning it is 100% pure honey. The commercial brands are generally diluted with corn syrup. You can taste the difference.”

You can often find local honey at a farmers market.