The benefits of bees
Every bee is unique, with different personalities. Some are more adventurous than others. Bee pollination is necessary for the production of one-third of our food-related crops. The number of bees visiting a flower influences the quantity, size, and uniformity of the fruit it produces. Recognizing the essential role bees play in pollination, many farmers rent hives to maximize the pollination of their fruit trees and other crops. These crops are too valuable to be left to wild bees alone. Farmers determine the number of hives needed for optimal pollination by assessing the number of flowers in their fields or orchards
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What do beekeepers do?
We care for the bees from the beginning of April until the end of October. We check the queen's workload, and if she ever tries to swarm, we try to correct the situation. We also check for diseases and parasites. All our treatments are natural and designed to promote the health of the colony.
Syrup
Maple syrup Domaine du Grand Reed is actually just one ingredient with several benefits including being an antioxidant.
In addition to tasting good, maple syrup contains calcium, potassium , zinc , manganese and various essential vitamins .
All of these vitamins and minerals help maintain good health.
Different products
Honey
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Honey is a sticky substance that bees produce by collecting nectar from flowers and then processing it in their stomachs. They store the honey in cells, adding an enzyme to ripen it. As with most agricultural products, honey production varies from year to year, depending on summer temperatures, the bees' survival over the winter, and the presence of diseases and parasites.
Honey, like maple syrup, can easily replace white sugar. Unpasteurized honey is known for its antibacterial properties, which can help prevent or cure infections.
Beeswax
Bees produce beeswax thanks to glands located under their abdomen. At a certain age, these glands naturally secrete wax scales. Bees use these scales to build honeycomb cells.
Beeswax is used to make candles and also in skincare products. It is still used today for ear candling therapy.
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Pollen
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Bees use pollen as a source of protein. They collect it while foraging for nectar. Looking closely at a bee, you can sometimes see pollen stuck to its hairs or stored along its legs. Because of the health benefits attributed to pollen, beekeepers may use special grids to collect it for sale. Pollen is marketed as a supplement that can boost the immune system and provide many other benefits.
Royal Jelly
Royal jelly is a highly nutritious substance produced by worker bees in their glands. It serves as food for the larvae as well as the queen. According to traditional Chinese culture, royal jelly is used to increase energy and prolong youth.
Propolis
Propolis is used to make many different products. Propolis is a sticky substance that bees collect from trees and certain plants and use to seal cracks in the hive. It can also be called "bee glue" because it's incredibly sticky!
To harvest it, beekeepers install a grid on top of the hive, with holes too small for the bees to pass through, which encourages them to fill them.
Bee Venom
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Bee Venom is known for its therapeutic benefits; it is used, for example, to relieve pain caused by arthritis.
The queen
A queen bee can lay an impressive number of eggs, often up to 2,000 in a single day. This remarkable ability ensures the growth and survival of the colony, as the queen constantly replenishes the worker bee population. This fascinating aspect of bee biology underscores the vital role of the queen within the colony.
The life of a bee
In a bee's life, it goes through several stages of work. In a hive, worker bees are true superheroes, each playing an essential role in the smooth functioning of the colony! From foraging for nectar and pollen to cleaning the hive and caring for the queen and her larvae, these tireless bees take care of everything! Their teamwork and dedication are a true source of inspiration, illustrating how every little effort contributes to the colony's success.
A colony contains between 40,000 and 60,000 bees of all ages in summer. Approximately 300 to 400 bees die each day. There are two different types of worker bees: those that work in the summer and those that overwinter. They are the same bees, except that summer bees live for 4 to 5 weeks, while winter bees can live for 6 to 8 months. During its lifetime, a bee will produce 1/8 of a teaspoon of honey.
