Pests, Plagues & PoliticsPests, Plagues & Politics Lecture 6 Lecture 6

Products of the HiveProducts of the Hive

Honey – Wax – Pollen – Venom - Royal JellyHoney – Wax – Pollen – Venom - Royal Jelly

“The devil made the wasp, but God made the honey bee” ~ Old Germanic Saying

Key PointsProducts of the Hive

• History of Beekeeping• Modern Apiculture

– Removeable Top Bar Frames

– Bee Space

• Honeybee products– Honey

– Wax

– Pollen, venom, royal jelly

– Pollination Services

Prehistoric relationsPrehistoric relations• Prehistoric records show a honey bee/human

connection going back 6,000 BP

• Humans were essentially another predator of the honey bee

Mesolithic cave paintingCueva de la Arana, Bicorp, Spain

Smoking the hive Motopo Hills, Zimbabwe, ca. 10,000 yrs ago

Historic RecordHistoric Record

• Humans eventually began providing cavities for honey bees to nest in.

• Earliest records are Egyptian

Egyptian beekeepingEgyptian beekeeping

Harvesting honey combs (right) and packing honey (left)ca. 1450 BC, West Bank, Luxor

ApicultureApiculture

• The “management” of honey bees• Primary species utilized:

– Apis mellifera L. – The European honey bee– Two Biotypes:

• EuropeanEuropean – adapted for temperate climates

• AfricanAfrican – adapted for tropical climates

– Ca. 27 subspecies/biotypes in the world.

• Honey bees to the western hemisphere ca. 16221622 by European colonists

WHY KEEP BEESWHY KEEP BEES

• Provide valuable products for our comfort, pleasure, & nutrition.

• These are:

– HoneyHoney - 200 million pounds per annum (U.S.)

– PollinationPollination - 16 billion $$ of agricultural product

– Wax, Pollen, Royal Jelly, VenomWax, Pollen, Royal Jelly, Venom

Prior to 1853 Beekeeping wasPrior to 1853 Beekeeping was

Inefficient/WastefulInefficient/Wasteful

•Skep hive – used for 2000 years• made of mud, clay or straw• unable to inspect for pests, disease• harvest destructive

The The ““ModernModern”” Era of Beekeeping Era of Beekeeping

• Started in 1853 with the publication of the book THE HIVE & THE HONEYBEETHE HIVE & THE HONEYBEE

• Written by L.L. Langstroth– The “FatherFather” of modern beekeeping

• Introduced the concept of ““bee spacebee space””• From which the TOP-OPENING, MOVABLE

FRAME HIVE evolved.

Bee Space

1/41/4thth to 3/8 to 3/8thth inch inch

Bee Space – when bees have less than 1 cm to move around in, they will not build wax or propolis attachments to the wall of a hive, allowing for the removal of frames

The modern beehive

HONEYHONEY

• A saturated solution of carbohydrates– ca. 17% water– ca. 82.5% sugar:

• fructose 38%• glucose 31%• maltose 7%• sucrose 1.5%• et alia 6%

– ca. 0.5% protein, minerals, vitamins &

•MAGIC

HoneyHoney

• Produced from plant nectarProduced from plant nectar– Primarily from flowers– Also extra-floral nectaries

• Precursor of nectar is:Precursor of nectar is:– Phloem sapPhloem sap– Most often a dilute solution of sucrose

• Essentially bees do two things:Essentially bees do two things:– Dehydrate– Enzymatic “inversion” of sucrose to glucose &

fructose

+

FYI

HONEYHONEY• The first sweetenerThe first sweetener (long before sugar cane)

• Our first alcoholic beverageOur first alcoholic beverage (mead)

• ProductionProduction:

– U.S. 200 million pounds per annum

– World: two billion pounds per annum

• ConsumptionConsumption:• U.S., one pound - Germany, four pounds

• Myriad of minor uses– pharmacy - medicinal vehicle & taste corrective, wound dressing– cosmetics

BEESWAXBEESWAX

• COSMETICS – creams, lotions, lipstick

• CANDLES– liturgical, Jewish, Greek Orthodox, but most of

all the RCC.

• BEEKEEPING– foundation beeswax

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_use_of_lights#Candles

Comb from BeeswaxComb from Beeswax

BeeswaxBeeswax

• Produced from fourfour pairs of sub-dermal glands on the underside of the abdomen of a worker bee.

• When the bee is 10 to 1810 to 18 days old

• Produced as small, translucent flakes

• Precursor is honey & nectar (carbohydrates)

Wax scales from wax glands

BEESWAX COMPOSITIONBEESWAX COMPOSITION

• Over 300300 identified individual components– hydrocarbons (14%)– monoesters (35%)– diesters (14%)– hydroxy polyesters (8%)– free acids (12%)

Royal JellyRoyal Jelly• Definition

– the glandular secretions of young worker bees (4-10 days old), produced by the hypopharyngeal in the head, used as food for larval bees.

• Composition– 66% water– 14% protein– 14% carbohydrate– 5% lipid (fats & sterols)

Queen cell

Royal jelly in cell

Bee Venom

• Uses– As Pure Bee Venom for use in

desensitization

– As quackery for charlatans in treating a variety of neurological disorders.

VENOMVENOM

• CompositionComposition

– a mixture of proteins & peptides• melittin 50% dry wt

• phospholipase A 12% dry wt

• hyaluronidase <3% dry wt.

• acid phosphatase <1% dry wt.

• histamine <1% dry wt.

VENOMVENOM• MelittinMelittin

– lysis of blood & mast cells - release of histamine & serotonin from mast cells - depression of blood pressure & respiration.

• Phospholipase APhospholipase A– cell lysis - pain - toxicity; synergistic with melittin

• HyaluronidaseHyaluronidase– hydrolyzes connective tissue - the spreading factor

• HistamineHistamine– itching & pain

• Acid phosphataseAcid phosphatase– involved in allergic reaction

POLLENPOLLEN

• Plant male gametophyte – a reproductive structure that carries sperm

• A primary food substance for bees– directly as food to older larvae– indirectly as the precursor for royal jelly

{think of honey bees as specialized herbivores}

POLLEN COMPOSITIONPOLLEN COMPOSITION

• ProteinProtein– from 6 to 28%

• LipidsLipids– from 1 to 20%, but usually <5%

• SterolsSterols– <less than 0.5%

• AdditionallyAdditionally– sugars, starches, vitamins, minerals

Pollen grain of chamomile flower

Why eating pollen might not be Why eating pollen might not be such a good idea!!such a good idea!!

• EconomicsEconomics$8 to $12 per pound

• NutritionNutrition= that of soybean flourNot quantifiable

• Pesticide residuesPesticide residuesEspecially fungicides

• AllergiesAllergies

Greatest Value of {honey} Bees• Pollination

– U.S. = 15 billion $/annum– Oregon = 600 million $/annum

• Fiscal mainstay for commercial beekeepers in PNW.

Key PointsProducts of the Hive

• History of Beekeeping• Modern Apiculture

– Removeable Top Bar Frames

– Bee Space

• Honeybee products– Honey

– Wax

– Pollen, venom, royal jelly

– Pollination Services