THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3861, 13 March 1928, Page 11

THE APIARY.

By

J. A.

MAKING HONEY. Mr Jay Smith, one of our best bee culture writers, speaks on this subject in Cleanings. He says: “ It is not fully known just what process is given to the nectar by the bees to make it into honey. They bring in the nectar from the flowers, and, according, to some of our best authorities, do not put it into the cell, but give it to other bees. The fielder, after a short rest, goes back into the field for more nectar. The bee that receives the nectar from the field bee draws it into its honey sack, and then forces it out, using its tongue and mandibles to hold the drop of nectar. It repeats this process again and again, thereby mixing certain secretions of the glands with the nectar. It is then placed in the cel] in such a way as to expose a large surface to the atmosphere, so that it may more easily be evaporated to thick honey. Sometimes the bees place a drop in the top of the cell, in which case it hangs down. In other words, they ‘ hang it up to dry.’ The bees have a! splendid way of ventilating. By fanning with their wings they drive a strong current of air through the hive. This enables them to evaporate the nectar and reduce it to honey. After the honey is thoroughly treated, and the surplus water removed by evaporation it becomes honey, and is capped over. “ The question is frequently asked, How many trips does a bee have to make to produce a pound of honey? Of course, no bee ever made a pound of honey, and it is doubtful whether, under the most favourable circumstances, a bee ever gathered enough nectar to make half an ounce of honey in its lifetime. Some who have done some figuring in the matter say that under ordinary working conditions a bee would have to travel a distance equal to four times round the earth to make a pound of honey. When you spread a small teaspoonful of honey on your bread it probably represents the life work of a hundred bees. From this we should appreciate the amount of work it takes to make honey, and what a wonderful food it is. “ Consider for a moment that honey is the only concentrated sweet found in nature. Isn’t it logical, then, to assume that it is the only concentrated sweet that we should eat? Other sweets, such as the common white granulated sugar, are devitalised and rendered unfit for human consumption. The cane juice in its raw state is a good food, and it is said that the negroes, while working amongst the cane, continually chew the stalks to get the juice. They thrive and grow fat on it. But the natural juice of the cane and granulated sugar are two entirely different products. In making sugar the juice is boiled till all vitamins are destroyed. It is then filtered and the last vestige of mineral salts, so necessary to the human body, is removed. This lifeless, devitalised sugar is thun used for food. Our latest and best authorities now tell us that this sp-called 'refining'’ of our foods is what has made the race what it is to-day—weak, sickly, and degenerate. When we eat these devitalised foods they do not satisfy, and we continue to eat more, thus making a bad matter worse. “ But to return to honey, it will be noted that it is not heated to remove the surplus water, as is the case with artificial sweets, but it is made thick at a low temperature. Then all of the natural food elements are retained. It is not known definitely just what food elements honey contains, but it should be sufficient for anyone who is interested in health to know that it is the only natural concentrated sweet, and therefore should be the only one eaten. “Once in a while soma chemist comes out with a statement that he has examined honey and found the food value to be no better than in sugar syrup. Such a scientist may know the difference between a retort and a caterpillar tractor, but he does not show the same degree of intelligence when discriminating between honey and sugar syrup. Some have said that sugar syrup and honey are the same except the flavour. Then why is it that, if you boil honey you spoil the flavour and cause it to turn brown, while sugar syrup does not? “ The practical, commonsense physician is finding honey to be the best sweet, and is frank enough to say. he does not know why. Some doctors have reported wonderful results in giving honey to babies. Others have said that for patients suffering from heart trouble honey has proved to be of great benefit. Still others say that for tuberculosis patients honey is a great boon. In fact the very best authorities tell us that for any ailment the patient will be benefited by using honey in place of sugar. Common sense, then, should tell us that, if it is a cure for the sick, it is a preventive if used by the well. “In my household we have been using honey in place of sugar more and more, and now we do not have sugar in the house except when we have company. For cooking honey is far ; superior to sugar, and also for canning -fruits. A year ago we canned our peaches with honey, using a pressure can'ner, and all voted them by far the finest flavoured peaches they had ever tasted. The honey did not have any scorched taste, which I was afraid it might have from being cooked at a temperature of 220 deg. which we use with the pressure canner. On the other hand, the peaches had a better flavour, than when sugar is used. As just mentioned, honey costs the bees an enormous amount of labour to produce, and they prepare it so that it is all ready to be taken up by the system. It is the best of all sweets, and we should eat more of it.”