Good morning, damned and damned! today is may 20 World Bee Day is more than reason enough to honor these insects that are so important to the environment (and to our food): although we usually associate these little striped workers with honey production and painful stings , their role food production thank you Pollination is essential.
Pollination decline in fruits and vegetables may affect less balanced diets
Since about 90% of flowering plants depend on pollination to reproduce, a decline in bee populations means some nutrient-rich crops such as fruits, nuts and many vegetables They will be replaced more often by staple crops such as rice, maize and potatoes, which unbalanced diet can cause, alert the United Nations,
“They are necessary immediate protection measures Develop more restrictive protection programs for bee and bumblebee populations and their habitats, Ornesa and two colleagues indicate in their report. Promotes the creation of the Spanish Association of Entomology entomological reserveAreas with populations of a single, endemic or threatened species and communities with a high diversity of species for their conservation.
No, there is no scientific basis for apitherapy
In damn science we have already explained Rumors and myths about them. For example, applying bee venom directly to the stinger. does not help in the treatment of diseases such as multiple sclerosis apitherapy It has no scientific basis and its purported positive effects do not go beyond placebo, as we count Here.
Nicotinoids: a possible cause of bee death, but not the only one
Other of these hoaxes are related to the disappearance of bees. in this article We explain why we love pesticides neonicotinoids One possible reason for its downfall, but not the only one. In fact, there can be several reasons for the massive death of bees: Mites, viruses and other parasites, poor nutrition, changes in the hive’s habitat, and these types of insecticides, among other causes.
It is not common today to clip the wings of queen bees to prevent them from swarming.
Although years ago, one or both wings of the queen bee were cut off to prevent them from leaving the hive and swarming; or the tip of one of them, to easily identify it among the rest of the bees, it’s something like this, currently it does not,
The first practice, according to experts, is today “considered disrespectful.” If all you want is to separate them, there is currently a more efficient way: Special marking pen (or sticker). For the beekeeper, this method is very useful because, in addition to knowing her age, he knows to be especially delicate when removing the box so as not to damage the queen.
swarm, which is why bees sit temporarily on cars and other objects
Have you received the material or have you seen a kind of ‘brown crust’ on cars or urban furniture created, in theory, by bees? The truth is that the situation is related to these insects: that superficial layer is made up of bees and the reason they make it is that, because of the process of cluster and after picking up a new queen, Half the hive is initially looking for a new home to deal with the lack of space. In this case, as per consultation by experts maldita.sThe car will be a temporary resting place and the position depicted in the image is, therefore, possible and habitual.
Bee and wasp stings: the difference between them and what to do in both cases
Summer is here and we spend more time outdoors, and it’s all too common to confuse bee stings with their “close cousins”, wasps.
In fact, peck aspect Both have the same: a clear, painful swelling surrounded by a red halo That usually goes back to normal within a few hours (depending on the location and the sensitivity of whoever was bitten). But there is a big difference between the two: Tees
bee stings With small teeth, like a saw, and form the last part of its abdomen. both factors make is dead after being stung, since It fails to extract the sting from the bite, losing the end of its digestive tract as it escapes. However, the wasp’s stinger is smooth and allows it to sting multiple times.
That is why special precautions should be taken when treating an ordinary bee sting: An attempt will be made to remove the stinger with a pair of tweezers Without excessively poking around the area. According to both types of cutting share the rest process Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEPED): Wash the wound with water, apply local cold to reduce absorption of the poison, and use products containing ammonia or vinegar to improve symptoms. Avoid rubbing and scratching the affected area and do not apply local heat, ointments or plasters. before this severe sting or if an allergic reaction occurs, the patient should are handled immediately by the doctor, who will decide if it is necessary to refer you to hospital.
Hexagonal cells and other curiosities
Do you know what bees use to make their panels? hexagonal cells? To make the most of space taking into account your own anatomy. If these were square, local adaptation would be greater, but they are not adapted to the body of the larva. If they were cylindrical, the opposite would happen. Using hexagons seems like the ideal way to combine solutions to these two needs.
In this article Of National Geographic You can find many other curiosities about these insects, such as how many types of bees are present inside a hive, how queens are chosen and what flowers they prefer.
Bee bread is not a ‘superfood’
In addition, bees produce Honeysubstance known as bee bread: pollen mixed with Honey and sometimes with A type of plant, a resin that bees use to make holes in their honeycombs. This It is not a superfood. In fact, there is no food: The concept ‘superfood’ doesn’t make sense. According to experts, it is a claim made to attract our attention, which is extraordinary for all kinds of products, usually exotic or little-known, taking advantage of the novelty factor as a lever to make the message more credible. Pretends to show beneficial properties.
How do bees make honey?
Honey is a food very rich in glucose (though without evidence of purported beneficial properties) produced by bees. How do they make it? They take nectar and store it in a type of crop in their digestive tract, some enzymes are [proteínas que catalizan reacciones] which are produced in the glands in the head and which are produced in workers of a certain age convert to sucrose glucose And fructose And turns nectar into honey.
What about the health benefits of honey?
It has not been shown that honey has preventive properties on respiratory processes such as colds. At the moment, the most recent scientific evidence (Cochrane Reviews, one of the strongest sources of scientific evidence) tells us that it may have an effect Slightly better than placebo in relieving the infant’s cough.
Nor is it clear that it acts as an antibiotic. Healing wounds and skin lesions. According to another 2015 Cochrane review, the quality of evidence on trying is low or very low Draw conclusions about its topical use. In maldita.s we have already explained Purported beneficial properties of honey.
For Sweetening, Is Honey Better Than Sugar?
Despite its excellent reputation in terms of its nutritional value, the reality is nutritionally it is basically simple sugar (between 75%-85%). Although it is true that it contains small amounts of interesting micronutrients The ratio is minimal. That is, we would have to consume exaggerated amounts (along with their corresponding free sugars) for it to make a significant contribution.
honey has no genetic memory
As much as the different false ingredients echo it, honey does not contain genes: genes are contained in cells and honey is not made of them, but of chemical compounds. If you have doubts, You can read more about the (non)genetic memory of honey.
