WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.680 May I have your attention, please? The following 00:00:03.680 --> 00:00:10.880 is not the real Jeff Fox review If you think 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:15.519 it's your fault every time you get stung by a 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:22.579 bee You might be a beekeeper If when robbing 00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:27.500 is going on at your house, but you don't call 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:35.100 the police Well, you might be a beekeeper. If 00:00:35.100 --> 00:00:40.420 you have enough beeswax lip balm to last your 00:00:40.420 --> 00:00:46.600 family for 300 years, you might be a beekeeper. 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:57.020 Welcome, welcome to Be Love Beekeeping presented 00:00:57.020 --> 00:01:00.270 by our great friends over at Man Lake. Today's 00:01:00.270 --> 00:01:03.009 episode is going to be completely dedicated to 00:01:03.009 --> 00:01:06.329 apotherapy or the use of honeybee products for 00:01:06.329 --> 00:01:09.890 medicinal or health benefits. Our guest is Ross 00:01:09.890 --> 00:01:13.469 Conrad who's a New England beekeeper and extremely 00:01:13.469 --> 00:01:16.769 knowledgeable on the topic. This is a longer 00:01:16.769 --> 00:01:19.090 discussion than usual so we're going to jump 00:01:19.090 --> 00:01:22.030 right in after we give a quick but hearty thank 00:01:22.030 --> 00:01:25.810 you to V2B Health for their support of this podcast. 00:01:26.609 --> 00:01:29.650 Vita's Varroa Control Ranger products includes 00:01:29.650 --> 00:01:33.670 Apistan, Apigard, and now Varroxan, Extended 00:01:33.670 --> 00:01:37.549 Release Oxalic Acid Strips. Thanks guys. Now, 00:01:37.750 --> 00:01:43.489 all things Apotherapy. We have with us today 00:01:43.489 --> 00:01:46.989 Ross Conrad, coming to us all the way from Vermont. 00:01:47.390 --> 00:01:50.670 And Ross, good morning. How are you? Good morning, 00:01:50.829 --> 00:01:54.140 Eric. Doing well, thank you. It is great that 00:01:54.140 --> 00:01:57.239 we could finally connect. And just to let our 00:01:57.239 --> 00:01:59.579 listeners know, we're going to be talking about 00:01:59.579 --> 00:02:03.200 a cool subject today, which is apotherapy, something 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:06.819 that you know a lot of. But first, let's find 00:02:06.819 --> 00:02:09.840 out who Ross is and what are you doing in Vermont 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:12.659 and what's beekeeping like there. So jump right 00:02:12.659 --> 00:02:15.759 in anywhere. I started beekeeping by working 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:20.280 with some local commercial beekeepers, Bill and 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:23.900 Charlie Meraz. And Charlie Mraz was a world -famous 00:02:23.900 --> 00:02:26.960 beekeeper. Between the two of them, they were 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:29.379 father and son. They had over 100 years of beekeeping 00:02:29.379 --> 00:02:32.699 experience. That's how I got my education. And 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:35.219 Charlie Mraz was known as the father of apotherapy, 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:39.360 who first actually brought the use of bee products 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:42.340 and bee venom to the United States and really 00:02:42.340 --> 00:02:45.699 pushed hard to try to get the medical establishment 00:02:45.699 --> 00:02:50.210 interested in... the benefits of bee venom therapy 00:02:50.210 --> 00:02:52.969 and apitherapy in general. Beekeeping in Vermont 00:02:52.969 --> 00:02:55.169 is great. I'm in the Champlain Valley, which 00:02:55.169 --> 00:02:57.909 is the best place to keep bees in all of New 00:02:57.909 --> 00:03:00.569 England. Been a little bit more challenging of 00:03:00.569 --> 00:03:04.569 reaching years, but haven't given up and keep 00:03:04.569 --> 00:03:07.090 working at it. Hopefully beating the odds. Good. 00:03:07.389 --> 00:03:09.270 And pretty tough. I don't know if you've heard 00:03:09.270 --> 00:03:12.110 recently this past nine months had one of the 00:03:12.110 --> 00:03:14.870 biggest guy -offs they're estimating. well over 00:03:14.870 --> 00:03:17.750 a million colonies of bees died just in the last 00:03:17.750 --> 00:03:20.129 nine months here in the United States. Yeah, 00:03:20.129 --> 00:03:22.590 we have talked all about it on this podcast, 00:03:22.889 --> 00:03:26.409 had Chris Hyatt on a couple of episodes ago to 00:03:26.409 --> 00:03:28.389 give us a good explanation. And we're waiting 00:03:28.389 --> 00:03:30.990 like everybody else to see what the cause is. 00:03:31.110 --> 00:03:33.409 Nobody really knows yet. Well, it's interesting 00:03:33.409 --> 00:03:37.210 for me, this winter had really mixed results. 00:03:37.370 --> 00:03:40.030 I had some bee yards I've lost really high, you 00:03:40.030 --> 00:03:45.840 know, 46, 50. 100 % of my bees died and other 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:48.560 bee yards, well, I lost none or had less than 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:51.979 10 % loss. And so it strikes me that, you know, 00:03:51.979 --> 00:03:53.919 if it was something that beekeepers were doing 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:56.139 or myself, you know, because they treat all my 00:03:56.139 --> 00:03:57.919 hides the same, I managed them all the same. 00:03:57.979 --> 00:03:59.719 So if it was something that I was doing wrong 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:03.060 or not doing, then I would expect to see more 00:04:03.060 --> 00:04:05.580 consistent losses in all my bee yards. But the 00:04:05.580 --> 00:04:07.319 fact that some of them get hit hard and some 00:04:07.319 --> 00:04:09.740 of them don't at all tells me that it's something 00:04:09.740 --> 00:04:12.599 outside the bee yard that's affecting them. And 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:14.639 do you have any speculation on what that might 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:17.079 be? Oh, of course. Everyone's got speculation. 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:20.500 But we're doing a sweepstakes here. Whoever gets 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:23.540 it right wins. So go ahead and put your two cents 00:04:23.540 --> 00:04:27.959 in. Well, unfortunately, I believe it probably 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:31.980 if not partially, if not wholly responsible is 00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:36.459 the pesticides and the inadequate regulation 00:04:36.459 --> 00:04:39.959 of pesticides that goes on in the United States, 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:43.430 especially. And now that they're also finding 00:04:43.430 --> 00:04:46.670 that a lot of the forever chemicals, the PFAS 00:04:46.670 --> 00:04:49.589 and stuff are in the pesticides as well. Yeah. 00:04:49.649 --> 00:04:52.170 And the bees are being exposed and we know it 00:04:52.170 --> 00:04:55.310 harms them. The neonics are a big problem because 00:04:55.310 --> 00:04:57.350 they're systemic and you can't prevent the bees 00:04:57.350 --> 00:04:59.910 from being exposed and be farmers are using them 00:04:59.910 --> 00:05:02.009 even when they don't even have a pest problem. 00:05:02.550 --> 00:05:04.670 I got a feeling that that's it. But, you know, 00:05:04.670 --> 00:05:07.810 I'm holding back and waiting for the results. 00:05:07.850 --> 00:05:11.660 I know there's over a dozen researchers, all 00:05:11.660 --> 00:05:13.860 taking samples and looking into this to try to 00:05:13.860 --> 00:05:15.500 figure out what's going on. So I'll be looking 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:18.040 forward to seeing the results. Yeah, me too. 00:05:18.180 --> 00:05:20.819 And I love that you brought all of that up about 00:05:20.819 --> 00:05:23.620 the chemicals and the forever chemicals. And 00:05:23.620 --> 00:05:26.819 whether that explains this year's particular 00:05:26.819 --> 00:05:30.240 die off or not, it's got to be a long term problem. 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:32.699 And I'm on board with you. We need to do something 00:05:32.699 --> 00:05:35.699 about it. This episode is going to come out either 00:05:35.699 --> 00:05:40.389 late March or early April of 2025. What's it 00:05:40.389 --> 00:05:43.529 like in spring where you are as far as how you 00:05:43.529 --> 00:05:45.490 take care of your bees? Do they need a lot of 00:05:45.490 --> 00:05:48.069 food or what's going on right now? Well, no, 00:05:48.069 --> 00:05:50.790 if I do everything right in fall, I don't have 00:05:50.790 --> 00:05:52.990 to do a whole lot in the spring. But there's 00:05:52.990 --> 00:05:55.910 often, you know, a hive here or there that for 00:05:55.910 --> 00:05:58.430 some reason have used more honey than I anticipated 00:05:58.430 --> 00:06:00.709 or expected. And so they might eat some feeding. 00:06:01.230 --> 00:06:03.610 The best feed for a bee, there's honey in the 00:06:03.610 --> 00:06:06.889 comb. So I will take honey. The first thing I 00:06:06.889 --> 00:06:09.379 do is take honey from Hodgson. have died over 00:06:09.379 --> 00:06:11.639 the winter and if as long as they haven't died 00:06:11.639 --> 00:06:13.839 from diseases contagious I'll use that honey 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:17.000 to feed my bees rather than feed them sugar syrup 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:19.779 or high fructose corn syrup or god forbid or 00:06:19.779 --> 00:06:21.720 whatever because that's just going to make them 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:25.620 healthier and so mostly it's just nowadays trying 00:06:25.620 --> 00:06:28.920 to guess when spring is the weather patterns 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:31.879 are shifting and changing or the last two years 00:06:31.879 --> 00:06:34.600 I've gotten into my bees way earlier than ever 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:36.759 before usually it was toward the end of April 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:39.139 now it's Last couple years, it's been the beginning 00:06:39.139 --> 00:06:42.139 of April, first, second leak of April, I've gotten 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:44.459 into them. We'll see what happens this year. 00:06:45.139 --> 00:06:48.480 I appreciate all of that info and let's jump 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:51.939 right into it. I want to learn more about apitherapy. 00:06:52.100 --> 00:06:54.620 You mentioned that you were mentored by someone 00:06:54.620 --> 00:06:57.259 that was really into this. Is that how you got 00:06:57.259 --> 00:07:00.079 into it or did you learn in other ways? No, no, 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:03.379 that was my exposure through Charlie Maraz and 00:07:03.449 --> 00:07:05.730 going to some of the meetings of the American 00:07:05.730 --> 00:07:08.569 Apotherapy Society, which she was a founding 00:07:08.569 --> 00:07:11.790 member of, and just learning of it or learning 00:07:11.790 --> 00:07:14.529 about it. Having him teach me how to do it, reading 00:07:14.529 --> 00:07:17.550 his book on it, appreciating of all the gifts 00:07:17.550 --> 00:07:20.529 the bees provide, you know, that everything about 00:07:20.529 --> 00:07:24.209 a beehive is so healing, not just for the environment, 00:07:24.569 --> 00:07:27.389 but for humans as well. Literally everything. 00:07:27.990 --> 00:07:31.149 Honey, the propolis, which is the tree resins 00:07:31.149 --> 00:07:34.050 the bees gather and create a The most powerful 00:07:34.050 --> 00:07:37.110 antimicrobial substance found in nature, pollen, 00:07:37.470 --> 00:07:40.129 royal jelly, and the bee venom, even the beeswax, 00:07:40.189 --> 00:07:44.230 everything has uses for healing and health. And 00:07:44.230 --> 00:07:47.149 so if you have access to a beehive, you got access 00:07:47.149 --> 00:07:51.990 to a cornucopia of healing and healthy materials 00:07:51.990 --> 00:07:56.329 and products that are affordable and will remain 00:07:56.329 --> 00:07:59.560 affordable because the pharmaceutical companies 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:03.000 can't patent them and control their distribution 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:05.220 and charge a ton of money for it. Anyone with 00:08:05.220 --> 00:08:08.699 a beehive can have access to these things. Unfortunately, 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:11.500 that's part of the reason why there hasn't been, 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:14.160 until more recent years, a huge amount of research 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:18.180 into the effects of the bee products and their 00:08:18.180 --> 00:08:20.519 health healing properties, because there's just 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:22.620 not a lot of money in it that can be controlled. 00:08:22.980 --> 00:08:28.300 For the masses, I think that's just a great inexpensive, 00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:32.000 accessible source of health and healing products. 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:34.080 And that's going to be especially important, 00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:37.159 I think, as we go forward here in the future. 00:08:37.659 --> 00:08:40.740 The way things seem to be going, we keep getting 00:08:40.740 --> 00:08:45.100 more and more chaotic weather, which is creating 00:08:45.100 --> 00:08:48.320 destabilization in society. And if for some reason 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:51.500 you don't have access to health care when you 00:08:51.500 --> 00:08:55.700 need it, but you have access to a beehive, you 00:08:55.700 --> 00:08:58.799 could be saving your life or the life of loved 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.720 ones or even just friends, neighbors, people 00:09:01.720 --> 00:09:04.600 who need help if you have access to a beehive 00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:10.019 and you're aware of what the properties of the 00:09:10.019 --> 00:09:12.899 bee products are. Let's talk about some of these 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:15.620 things individually. Let's start with propolis. 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:18.899 We beekeepers know what it is. It can go anywhere 00:09:18.899 --> 00:09:22.580 from sticky to crunchy. What is the best way 00:09:22.580 --> 00:09:25.440 to harvest it, and what ways do you suggest that 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:28.480 we use it, and for what? The best way to harvest 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.919 it, it depends, you know. It depends. There's 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:35.360 always more than one approach. Because propolis 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:38.340 acts as an extension of the honey bee's immune 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:43.120 system, I purposely do not harvest propolis from 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:46.539 my hives intentionally. which would be to put 00:09:46.539 --> 00:09:50.080 a some kind of a propolis trap in the hive something 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:54.500 that is has holes in it is rough surface or something 00:09:54.500 --> 00:09:58.340 and and allows air or light through maybe you 00:09:58.340 --> 00:10:00.799 put it up and replace the inner cover with it 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:03.480 and the bees will because they use propolis as 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.259 a building material as well as a way to sterilize 00:10:06.259 --> 00:10:09.990 the inside of the hive they will feel those holes 00:10:09.990 --> 00:10:13.350 or that rough surface with propolis typically 00:10:13.350 --> 00:10:17.029 people will use some kind of a plastic or nylon 00:10:17.029 --> 00:10:20.230 material that's easy to twist and bend after 00:10:20.230 --> 00:10:22.509 it's been frozen because propolis as you mentioned 00:10:22.509 --> 00:10:25.289 very sticky when it's warm but get hard and brittle 00:10:25.289 --> 00:10:27.730 when it's cold so you would take that propolis 00:10:27.730 --> 00:10:29.690 trap after it's been filled with propolis put 00:10:29.690 --> 00:10:32.409 it in the freezer let it get hard the propolis 00:10:32.409 --> 00:10:34.769 get hard and brittle and then you take it out 00:10:34.769 --> 00:10:36.889 of freezer and just kind of tweak the bend the 00:10:36.889 --> 00:10:40.610 plastic or the mesh or whatever you use and the 00:10:40.610 --> 00:10:43.429 propolis quacks and breaks off and then you can 00:10:43.429 --> 00:10:46.669 reuse the trap. But myself, I only harvest the 00:10:46.669 --> 00:10:50.409 propolis that I come across in chunks when I'm 00:10:50.409 --> 00:10:53.169 harvesting my honey. So on the frames or in the 00:10:53.169 --> 00:10:56.009 supers there's often propolis and I will harvest 00:10:56.009 --> 00:10:59.570 that because I'm not really looking to take the 00:10:59.570 --> 00:11:01.750 propolis from the bees. They need it to be as 00:11:01.750 --> 00:11:05.389 healthy as possible and that's possibly part 00:11:05.389 --> 00:11:07.500 of the problem. I mean, there's a lot of factors 00:11:07.500 --> 00:11:11.399 going into the current state of health of the 00:11:11.399 --> 00:11:13.340 bees and why they're suffering so much. And one 00:11:13.340 --> 00:11:16.039 of them is that over the years beekeepers bred 00:11:16.039 --> 00:11:19.179 bees for those that didn't produce a lot of propolis 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:22.700 because it's bee glue, you know, is one of the 00:11:22.700 --> 00:11:24.740 things the beekeepers call it as a nickname for 00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:27.320 it because it glues everything together and makes 00:11:27.320 --> 00:11:29.580 it hard to manipulate the frames and take things 00:11:29.580 --> 00:11:33.440 apart. And so beekeepers have preferred bees 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:36.480 over the years that didn't. produce much propolis, 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:40.220 but now we've been learning thanks to Mala Spivak 00:11:40.220 --> 00:11:42.679 and her work, a lot of the work that was done 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:46.279 at the University of Minnesota, propolis is really 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:49.419 important for healthy bees and it's really important 00:11:49.419 --> 00:11:51.679 for healthy people in that regard. And that's 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:54.580 why I do collect it and then I'll use it and 00:11:54.580 --> 00:11:58.259 make, usually I'll make a tincture out of it, 00:11:58.259 --> 00:12:01.240 but you can also find it ground up in capsules 00:12:01.240 --> 00:12:04.970 or you can just use it straight raw. grape of 00:12:04.970 --> 00:12:07.710 sore throat. How do you tincture it? What's your 00:12:07.710 --> 00:12:09.850 recipe for a tincture? I don't know if you're 00:12:09.850 --> 00:12:12.389 familiar with herbalism and stuff. Most herbalists 00:12:12.389 --> 00:12:15.889 will use like 80 proof alcohol, you know, like 00:12:15.889 --> 00:12:20.129 vodka or something to soak their herbs in and 00:12:20.129 --> 00:12:23.029 remove the medicinal properties. But the propolis, 00:12:23.110 --> 00:12:27.409 because the majority of it are these tree resins 00:12:27.409 --> 00:12:31.049 that are very dense, 80 proof alcohol, just 40 00:12:31.049 --> 00:12:35.740 % alcohol, is not enough. to dissolve it. You 00:12:35.740 --> 00:12:41.379 actually need a minimum of 70 % alcohol, or 130, 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:45.220 140 proof. If I do it, I just get the pure grain 00:12:45.220 --> 00:12:51.259 alcohol, 95, 100 % alcohol, and I use that, and 00:12:51.259 --> 00:12:54.600 I prefer organic, so I avoid any chemical contaminants 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:58.399 that might get into it. And that, I find, makes 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:03.529 the best propolis tincture. X amount of propolis, 00:13:03.649 --> 00:13:06.889 put it in a pint of this alcohol, let it sit 00:13:06.889 --> 00:13:09.490 for a couple of months. How do you do it? Yeah, 00:13:09.710 --> 00:13:11.950 that's basically it. I'll fill up the jar most 00:13:11.950 --> 00:13:14.649 of the way with propolis and then pour in the 00:13:14.649 --> 00:13:18.070 alcohol and, you know, let it sit for a minimum 00:13:18.070 --> 00:13:21.490 of two weeks, shake it once a day. And by the 00:13:21.490 --> 00:13:23.110 end of that, all the propolis is pretty much 00:13:23.110 --> 00:13:25.110 dissolved. There'll be some gunk along, I find, 00:13:25.250 --> 00:13:27.710 along the bottom, which is usually the beeswax. 00:13:28.210 --> 00:13:30.289 other stuff that's in the propolis that the bees 00:13:30.289 --> 00:13:32.970 use when they create the propolis, and then you 00:13:32.970 --> 00:13:37.350 can pull off the propolis -infused alcohol. That's 00:13:37.350 --> 00:13:39.490 one way. Other people, there's other ways of 00:13:39.490 --> 00:13:43.309 making it. There's a water, you know, non -alcohol 00:13:43.309 --> 00:13:45.610 way of doing it, because some people have issues 00:13:45.610 --> 00:13:47.950 with alcohol or it's drawing to the skin or whatever. 00:13:48.990 --> 00:13:50.830 But I think, personally, I think the alcohol 00:13:50.830 --> 00:13:53.389 makes the best tincture, gets the most of the 00:13:53.389 --> 00:13:56.350 material out of the propolis and into the tincture. 00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:59.259 and it preserves it the best. So what do you 00:13:59.259 --> 00:14:02.059 use it for personally? And I know we can't speak 00:14:02.059 --> 00:14:04.379 as medical advice here, we'll get in trouble, 00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:08.700 but what does Ross use it for? I find when I 00:14:08.700 --> 00:14:11.600 have a sore throat, really great for just knocking 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:14.639 it right out. I'll put a dropper full, coat my 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:16.120 throat before I go to bed at night and again 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:18.340 in the morning and usually within a couple days, 00:14:18.700 --> 00:14:22.100 sore throat's gone. Very good for external, any 00:14:22.100 --> 00:14:24.539 kind of external infections and things, wounds. 00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:29.409 Or quite frankly, Because I tend to be one that 00:14:29.409 --> 00:14:32.210 as much as I appreciate the modern medical system, 00:14:32.429 --> 00:14:34.129 especially when it comes to physical things, 00:14:34.129 --> 00:14:36.690 I find that they have a real challenge when it 00:14:36.690 --> 00:14:38.710 comes to any degenerative diseases. They haven't 00:14:38.710 --> 00:14:42.029 really figured that stuff out. And so I'll turn 00:14:42.029 --> 00:14:45.850 to a lot of I might do what the doctor recommends, 00:14:45.850 --> 00:14:49.990 but I'll also do my own more natural supplements 00:14:49.990 --> 00:14:53.870 and food products in herbal fox and populous 00:14:53.870 --> 00:14:57.519 whenever I'm dealing with a any kind of viral 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:01.080 infection, bacterial infection, or anything like 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:05.539 that, fungal. I will often take populous as part 00:15:05.539 --> 00:15:11.759 of the protocol. Let me just take a minute here 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:15.019 to thank our presenting sponsor, Man Lake. One 00:15:15.019 --> 00:15:17.100 of the things I love about Man Lake is their 00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:20.259 commitment to education because that commitment 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:22.919 shows how much they want you to be successful 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:26.090 at beekeeping. One great resource is their mobile 00:15:26.090 --> 00:15:29.210 app. You know, it's not just for shopping. It's 00:15:29.210 --> 00:15:32.129 packed full of all kinds of helpful information, 00:15:32.529 --> 00:15:36.149 including videos, articles, plus a plant identification 00:15:36.149 --> 00:15:39.029 feature designed to help beekeepers identify 00:15:39.029 --> 00:15:41.490 and plant bee healthy plants for their area. 00:15:42.029 --> 00:15:44.929 It's free, so download the Man Lake app today. 00:15:45.570 --> 00:15:47.889 And speaking of shopping, don't forget your discount 00:15:47.889 --> 00:15:51.789 code MLBlove10. It's in the show notes. For $10 00:15:51.789 --> 00:15:59.809 off your first $100 Now, back to the guest. Numbing 00:15:59.809 --> 00:16:03.669 areas. In fact, because our glaciers are melting 00:16:03.669 --> 00:16:07.470 at such a rapid pace, there was a recent discovery 00:16:07.470 --> 00:16:11.389 of a, they called him the Ice Man, some guy that 00:16:11.389 --> 00:16:14.169 had died hundreds of years ago, frozen in ice, 00:16:14.309 --> 00:16:16.830 finally got uncovered as the glaciers receded. 00:16:17.169 --> 00:16:19.929 And when they studied his body, they found dental 00:16:19.929 --> 00:16:22.970 problems. and his teeth and he had stuffed populace 00:16:22.970 --> 00:16:26.529 and beeswax in the cavities to fill the areas 00:16:26.529 --> 00:16:29.889 that had opened up in his teeth. Populace had 00:16:29.889 --> 00:16:34.710 been used as kind of a dental approach to helping 00:16:34.710 --> 00:16:37.870 deal with dental issues. Populace has been used 00:16:37.870 --> 00:16:40.629 for a long, long time. There has been studies 00:16:40.629 --> 00:16:43.490 that recommend more modern studies that indicate 00:16:43.490 --> 00:16:47.509 that it could be beneficial even today. So internally 00:16:47.509 --> 00:16:50.700 or topically it sounds like you can use it. Yep. 00:16:50.980 --> 00:16:53.620 Yeah, it's very rare for anyone to have an allergic 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:56.379 reaction to propolis, but if you do, usually 00:16:56.379 --> 00:16:58.340 it's just, you know, you have some skin reaction 00:16:58.340 --> 00:17:01.080 and you just cut back the propolis and the skin 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:04.960 clears up. It's pretty darn safe, as far as I 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:08.279 know. Let's jump around. Tell me more about royal 00:17:08.279 --> 00:17:12.339 jelly and how people use it. Well, royal jelly 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:16.630 is kind of a milking substance that the bees 00:17:16.630 --> 00:17:19.750 produce in glands in their bodies that they feed 00:17:19.750 --> 00:17:22.130 to all the young bees when they're first hatched 00:17:22.130 --> 00:17:24.750 from the egg. All the larva gets royal jelly 00:17:24.750 --> 00:17:28.009 for the first three days or so and then after 00:17:28.009 --> 00:17:31.109 that the worker bees the female worker bees and 00:17:31.109 --> 00:17:34.230 the drone the male drones they get switched over 00:17:34.230 --> 00:17:36.849 to a mix of the royal jelly with some honey and 00:17:36.849 --> 00:17:40.609 pollen mixed in but the queen bee she only gets 00:17:40.609 --> 00:17:43.480 royal jelly fed to her her whole life. which 00:17:43.480 --> 00:17:47.400 is tend to be why they call it royal jelly. Unfortunately, 00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:52.819 to get royal jelly, you have to remove the queen 00:17:52.819 --> 00:17:56.279 from the hive. So it's pretty stressful on a 00:17:56.279 --> 00:18:00.680 colony to produce royal jelly. It's also basically 00:18:00.680 --> 00:18:05.759 very labor intensive. This is why most if pretty 00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:08.299 much not all of the royal jelly available on 00:18:08.299 --> 00:18:10.839 the market comes from China, because that's the 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:14.599 only place where they can basically pay people 00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:18.579 hardly anything to produce this royal jelly because 00:18:18.579 --> 00:18:21.119 basically what happens is in each queen cell 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:23.119 that the bee when you remove the queen from the 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:26.160 hive the bees start building new queen cells 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:28.579 to start raising new queens to try to replace 00:18:28.579 --> 00:18:32.859 her and they deposit in a glob of royal jelly 00:18:32.859 --> 00:18:36.880 in every one of those wax cells to feed the developing 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:39.990 larvae And then before that wax cell gets capped 00:18:39.990 --> 00:18:43.150 for the larva to go through its pupation to develop 00:18:43.150 --> 00:18:46.589 into a fully mature queen bee, you have to go 00:18:46.589 --> 00:18:48.890 in with like usually they use a little suction 00:18:48.890 --> 00:18:52.609 device to suck up all those little globs of royal 00:18:52.609 --> 00:18:55.430 jelly. So it's very, very labor intensive and 00:18:55.430 --> 00:18:58.950 kind of stressful and hard on the bees. But it 00:18:58.950 --> 00:19:02.170 does have apparently a lot of pretty powerful 00:19:02.170 --> 00:19:05.750 medicinal benefits. One of the primary differences 00:19:05.750 --> 00:19:08.410 between a worker bee that can live for maybe 00:19:08.410 --> 00:19:10.990 five, six, eight weeks during the summer at best, 00:19:11.470 --> 00:19:15.309 and a queen bee that typically should be able 00:19:15.309 --> 00:19:19.369 to live for five years. That diet makes the difference, 00:19:19.430 --> 00:19:21.710 and this is powerful bee food. It comes from 00:19:21.710 --> 00:19:24.210 the bee's body. It's got all kinds of bee hormones 00:19:24.210 --> 00:19:28.750 and enzymes and lots of bee vitamins and protein 00:19:28.750 --> 00:19:31.730 and has its own antiviral, antifungal properties. 00:19:32.059 --> 00:19:37.960 Way back in the older days in Asia, the emperors 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:41.400 were given royal jelly because it was believed, 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:45.380 after observing the queen bees in the high, that 00:19:45.380 --> 00:19:48.720 it would help the emperor to not only live long 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:53.220 but be sexually virile and vibrant in his old 00:19:53.220 --> 00:19:58.640 age to help keep the genetic family line going. 00:19:58.990 --> 00:20:00.970 Personally, I don't use raw or jelly a whole 00:20:00.970 --> 00:20:03.769 lot just because it is so stressful to the beehives. 00:20:03.809 --> 00:20:06.490 All right, we're going in no particular order. 00:20:06.990 --> 00:20:08.849 I'll give you a heads up, Ross, though I want 00:20:08.849 --> 00:20:12.069 to save bee venom for last. That's something 00:20:12.069 --> 00:20:14.789 I'm super interested in. Let's talk about pollen 00:20:14.789 --> 00:20:18.210 next. Pollen is considered a superfood because 00:20:18.210 --> 00:20:21.710 it's so packed with vitamins and protein and 00:20:21.710 --> 00:20:24.220 minerals. The pollen that the plants produce 00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:26.779 in the area around the hive, the bees gather 00:20:26.779 --> 00:20:28.900 it up as they fly through the air to actually 00:20:28.900 --> 00:20:31.559 build up a static electric charge on their bodies 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:34.059 so the pollen grains will stick to them kind 00:20:34.059 --> 00:20:35.859 of like a balloon sticking to the wall after 00:20:35.859 --> 00:20:38.839 you rub it on your hair. And the bees will, they 00:20:38.839 --> 00:20:42.140 actually have kind of the comb -like hairs on 00:20:42.140 --> 00:20:44.960 their legs that they can use to groom themselves 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:48.819 and comb that pollen into a little ball that 00:20:48.819 --> 00:20:52.009 they carry on their hind legs. back to the hive 00:20:52.009 --> 00:20:56.369 and that is the primary source for all their 00:20:56.369 --> 00:21:00.150 fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals. They actually 00:21:00.150 --> 00:21:03.990 will ferment that pollen by adding a little bit 00:21:03.990 --> 00:21:08.769 of nectar or honey to it. In the honey or nectar 00:21:08.769 --> 00:21:11.750 is this beneficial bacteria and when they add 00:21:11.750 --> 00:21:14.750 it to the pollen it mixes with the pollen will 00:21:14.750 --> 00:21:17.430 cause the pollen to ferment after it's been placed 00:21:17.430 --> 00:21:20.410 in the cells of storage. And that's the long 00:21:20.410 --> 00:21:22.769 -term storage because pollen is actually highly 00:21:22.769 --> 00:21:25.890 degradable. It's perishable. And so the bees 00:21:25.890 --> 00:21:28.549 know that you ferment it as a way of storing 00:21:28.549 --> 00:21:30.809 it for long -term use, like, for example, during 00:21:30.809 --> 00:21:34.490 the winter, and they have no access to the pollen 00:21:34.490 --> 00:21:37.730 outside. And for people to use, there are various, 00:21:37.829 --> 00:21:41.829 quote, pollen traps that beekeepers can get, 00:21:42.009 --> 00:21:45.109 put in a hive, collect some pollen. Would you 00:21:45.109 --> 00:21:49.569 tell us two things? One, How do people make sure 00:21:49.569 --> 00:21:52.029 they're being careful not to collect too much 00:21:52.029 --> 00:21:55.250 pollen so that it's hurting the colony? And then 00:21:55.250 --> 00:21:58.269 two, how do people use pollen and what for? So 00:21:58.269 --> 00:22:00.490 yeah, that's a good point. You know, if you take 00:22:00.490 --> 00:22:03.150 too much pollen from the high that's going to 00:22:03.150 --> 00:22:05.029 harm them, because that's their primary source 00:22:05.029 --> 00:22:08.230 of food for the young. They primarily use pollen 00:22:08.230 --> 00:22:11.529 to feed and raise the young dees. And when you 00:22:11.529 --> 00:22:13.619 have a high that's... you know could be raising 00:22:13.619 --> 00:22:17.220 one over a thousand new bees every day during 00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:19.400 the peak of the summer. That's a lot of pollen 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:22.140 that gets used. How do we know that we're not 00:22:22.140 --> 00:22:24.859 taking too much? Should we put a pollen trap 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:27.720 in maybe one day a week and take it out or what 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:31.059 would be safe? Yeah something like that you know 00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:33.880 one or two three days at the most but then take 00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:36.660 it out so they get some in. Sometimes the bees 00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:41.359 figure it out on their own. I've seen bees that 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:44.640 you had a pollen trap on the hive and then the 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:48.180 bees started gathering smaller pellets of pollen 00:22:48.180 --> 00:22:50.059 on their legs that they could slip through the 00:22:50.059 --> 00:22:52.859 trap and get it in because the way the pollen 00:22:52.859 --> 00:22:55.920 trap works basically it creates an opening that's 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:58.079 so small at the entrance to the hive the bees 00:22:58.079 --> 00:22:59.940 kind of have to squeeze through it to get in 00:22:59.940 --> 00:23:02.000 and it knocks the pollen off their hind legs 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:04.140 and it falls through a screen where you can collect 00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:08.319 it in a tray and the bees have learned to sometimes 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:11.890 gather just enough so they can squeeze through 00:23:11.890 --> 00:23:14.190 and still get the pollen into the hive. With 00:23:14.190 --> 00:23:17.009 any other openings than where the pollen trap 00:23:17.009 --> 00:23:19.710 is, they'll use that opening to get the pollen 00:23:19.710 --> 00:23:22.430 into the hive. If the bees aren't able to figure 00:23:22.430 --> 00:23:26.250 it out, the beekeeper needs to definitely assist 00:23:26.250 --> 00:23:28.809 them and make sure that the trap isn't on full 00:23:28.809 --> 00:23:32.230 time and that it's taken off with enough guns 00:23:32.230 --> 00:23:35.849 and with enough space and period of time to allow 00:23:35.849 --> 00:23:38.769 the bees to bring in. the food that they're going 00:23:38.769 --> 00:23:42.069 to need to feed their young and keep developing 00:23:42.069 --> 00:23:45.089 the colony through the season as they need to. 00:23:45.630 --> 00:23:48.910 Yeah, that is super important. OK, health wise, 00:23:49.309 --> 00:23:52.950 what do you use it for? Well, it's just it's 00:23:52.950 --> 00:23:56.049 a super food. It's got actually better, higher 00:23:56.049 --> 00:24:00.849 quality protein, some pollens, than beef, quite 00:24:00.849 --> 00:24:04.170 literally. So it is a pretty powerful. It kind 00:24:04.170 --> 00:24:06.250 of depends though, you got to remember pollen, 00:24:06.549 --> 00:24:08.890 it's being gathered from the flowers in the area, 00:24:10.069 --> 00:24:12.670 so much of the quality of the pollen is going 00:24:12.670 --> 00:24:15.369 to depend on where the bees have been foraging 00:24:15.369 --> 00:24:18.049 and what flowers they've been visiting. But basically, 00:24:18.569 --> 00:24:21.430 it's just powerful nutrition. Any kind of issues 00:24:21.430 --> 00:24:25.210 you have with nutritional deficiency, the resource 00:24:25.210 --> 00:24:27.910 of the problem, the pollen has the potential 00:24:27.910 --> 00:24:33.420 to help alleviate that because it is such a powerful 00:24:33.420 --> 00:24:37.640 nutrient dense food. Can it help with allergies 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:41.700 like honey can? Interestingly enough, a lot of 00:24:41.700 --> 00:24:44.700 people have found that it does. It's based on 00:24:44.700 --> 00:24:48.059 this basic idea that immunization shots are based 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:50.960 on where you get exposed to something and if 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:54.180 it doesn't kill you, right, then your body gives 00:24:54.180 --> 00:24:57.920 up an immunity to it. And so that's the idea 00:24:57.920 --> 00:25:01.039 when it comes to pollen. A lot of times, you 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:02.559 know, beekeepers will, you know, or you hear 00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:05.079 that it's raw honey that you should eat. But 00:25:05.079 --> 00:25:07.319 that's just a way to sell more honey. The reality 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:11.200 is raw honey is not filtered or heated. So it's 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:13.819 still going to have the pollen in it. A little 00:25:13.819 --> 00:25:15.839 bit of pollen from the flowers that the bees 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:17.680 gather, the nectar from to create the honey. 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:19.480 There's going to be some pollen that gets in 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:23.339 there. And that is if you have an allergy to 00:25:23.339 --> 00:25:26.579 that pollen, but you consume very small amounts 00:25:26.579 --> 00:25:30.569 of it, it can actually help your body to build 00:25:30.569 --> 00:25:33.210 up immunity so you don't get those kind of hay 00:25:33.210 --> 00:25:36.829 fever symptoms as often people experience in 00:25:36.829 --> 00:25:39.750 spring or fall. It's not really the raw honey 00:25:39.750 --> 00:25:42.890 that's doing it, it's the pollen. And so the 00:25:42.890 --> 00:25:46.809 best perhaps treatment, if you will, or approach, 00:25:47.470 --> 00:25:51.690 you'd want to get pollen from the plants that 00:25:51.690 --> 00:25:55.250 you are allergic to. Whether it's goldenrod or... 00:25:55.319 --> 00:25:58.039 you know dandelions or whatever and then there 00:25:58.039 --> 00:26:00.059 is a protocol that's been established through 00:26:00.059 --> 00:26:03.799 the American Apotherapy Society where you take 00:26:03.799 --> 00:26:06.559 you know one half of one of those little pollen 00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:09.440 balls that has been collected from the bees that 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:11.839 you can buy in like health food stores or whatever 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:14.759 and and you eat that one day and then the next 00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:16.920 day as long as you're not getting a bad reaction 00:26:16.920 --> 00:26:19.180 or something maybe you'll eat a whole one whole 00:26:19.180 --> 00:26:21.980 pollen ball and then the next day after that 00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:24.130 you double it so then you have two and then the 00:26:24.130 --> 00:26:26.349 next day you have four, and then the next day 00:26:26.349 --> 00:26:28.849 eight, and then 16, and then maybe a quarter 00:26:28.849 --> 00:26:32.329 teaspoon, and half a teaspoon, and a full teaspoon. 00:26:32.809 --> 00:26:36.829 And usually after that, you know, 10 or 14 days 00:26:36.829 --> 00:26:40.869 of taking the pollen like that, people find they 00:26:40.869 --> 00:26:44.329 can, they don't have the kind of reactions that 00:26:44.329 --> 00:26:47.549 they normally would have. So the first thing 00:26:47.549 --> 00:26:50.710 that got me interested in beekeeping years ago 00:26:50.710 --> 00:26:55.490 was for this purpose for seasonal allergies and 00:26:55.490 --> 00:26:59.410 I had read a lot about it and I didn't know much 00:26:59.410 --> 00:27:03.009 but just what I had read and the advice was have 00:27:03.009 --> 00:27:05.960 some kind of a an amount that you take every 00:27:05.960 --> 00:27:09.059 day a teaspoon or whatever of raw honey from 00:27:09.059 --> 00:27:12.220 your area. So I went out, bought some raw honey 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:16.359 from a beekeeper that's about 150 miles away 00:27:16.359 --> 00:27:19.960 from where I live, but relatively similar terrain 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:22.599 and vegetation and that kind of stuff. Now, I 00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:25.480 don't know if that beekeeper filtered their honey 00:27:25.480 --> 00:27:29.279 or not. All I know is I set up my own protocol. 00:27:29.599 --> 00:27:32.700 I took a little honey every day for months. Here 00:27:32.700 --> 00:27:37.460 came spring and I was just as bad as usual and 00:27:37.460 --> 00:27:40.859 I just said okay. Well, this doesn't work until 00:27:40.859 --> 00:27:45.220 I read that this really is a hyper local kind 00:27:45.220 --> 00:27:49.319 of thing and Since I have had my own beehives 00:27:49.319 --> 00:27:53.859 on my own property and I do that and my allergies 00:27:53.859 --> 00:27:56.660 are Significantly better now. They're not gone, 00:27:56.960 --> 00:27:59.240 but they are way way better than they used to 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:02.079 be Well, that's an interesting experience because 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:04.740 personally, I'm not so sure it needs to be that 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:10.000 hyperlocal. In theory, if the honey is gathered, 00:28:10.180 --> 00:28:11.980 where the nectar is gathered to make the honey, 00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:15.380 from flowers that you have allergies to, it should 00:28:15.380 --> 00:28:17.680 work. Whether those flowers are in your backyard 00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:23.079 or 150, 350 miles away in the general area or 00:28:23.079 --> 00:28:25.960 region. And I don't know if they were the same 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:29.200 flowers or if that honey was being sifted. For 00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:31.859 some reason, it didn't work for me. Sure. That's 00:28:31.859 --> 00:28:34.680 part of it. And that's part of the problem in 00:28:34.680 --> 00:28:38.319 beekeeping and in the marketplace. There is little 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:45.059 to no policing of label claims. So people can, 00:28:45.380 --> 00:28:48.480 there's no definition from the government on 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:52.079 what raw honey actually is. And I know for a 00:28:52.079 --> 00:28:54.119 fact, there are beekeepers out there that heat 00:28:54.119 --> 00:28:56.759 their honey and they filter it and they put raw 00:28:56.759 --> 00:29:02.119 on the label. And no one questions it or consumers 00:29:02.119 --> 00:29:05.339 don't know the difference. To me, an egg that 00:29:05.339 --> 00:29:09.279 is soft -boiled is not raw. It's been exposed 00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:12.460 to heat. It's no longer raw. It's not hard -boiled. 00:29:12.599 --> 00:29:14.920 It's not fully cooked. But it's not raw. And 00:29:14.920 --> 00:29:17.220 to me, the same thing with honey. beekeepers, 00:29:17.579 --> 00:29:21.299 they only heat it to 120 degrees or only 160 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:24.319 degrees for a short near period of time or whatever. 00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:28.660 To me, that's not real honey. Real honey is period 00:29:28.660 --> 00:29:31.920 no heat added other than worse than room temperature 00:29:31.920 --> 00:29:34.440 basically or high temperature. You're preaching 00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:36.859 to the choir here. I couldn't agree with you 00:29:36.859 --> 00:29:39.799 more. And there's also the term organic, which 00:29:39.799 --> 00:29:42.539 I see a lot of people put on their honey. And 00:29:42.539 --> 00:29:44.279 I know where their hives are, and there's no 00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:46.920 way they can guarantee that that's organic. Well, 00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:49.420 that that's interesting, because, you know, organic 00:29:49.420 --> 00:29:55.779 is a federally regulated term. And you're not 00:29:55.779 --> 00:30:00.259 legally, you're not supposed to put organic and 00:30:00.259 --> 00:30:03.210 call your honey organic unless you need specific 00:30:03.210 --> 00:30:07.130 criteria and have been inspected by a third party 00:30:07.130 --> 00:30:12.170 to confirm the organic nature of your operation. 00:30:12.849 --> 00:30:16.589 And so if you actually are seeing that, you can 00:30:16.589 --> 00:30:21.369 report that to the regional organic certifier 00:30:21.369 --> 00:30:25.529 who will correct that inappropriate marketing 00:30:25.529 --> 00:30:28.910 and labeling. And I just think it's a matter 00:30:28.910 --> 00:30:31.839 of not knowing and understanding that. I mean, 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:34.779 go to your local farmers market. Chances are 00:30:34.779 --> 00:30:37.000 you're going to see a beekeeper that's done that. 00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:38.640 And they just don't know any better. I don't 00:30:38.640 --> 00:30:41.400 think they're trying to be colluding in some 00:30:41.400 --> 00:30:44.279 big scheme or something or other. What else can 00:30:44.279 --> 00:30:48.160 you tell us about honey besides allergies? Internally, 00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:51.059 topically, what should we use honey for? Oh, 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:53.720 my gosh. What do you not use honey for? Yeah, 00:30:53.720 --> 00:30:56.539 exactly. The first aid kit in a jar. Quite literally. 00:30:56.750 --> 00:30:59.690 Let's talk about burns and cuts, things like 00:30:59.690 --> 00:31:03.789 that. Yeah. Well, you see, honey is a unique 00:31:03.789 --> 00:31:06.650 substance, even though there are people now trying 00:31:06.650 --> 00:31:10.730 because the honey bees are dying. That's large 00:31:10.730 --> 00:31:13.549 numbers every year. People are worried. And so 00:31:13.549 --> 00:31:16.609 there's people that have started creating synthetic 00:31:16.609 --> 00:31:20.069 honey, not real honey, but it's honey like the 00:31:20.069 --> 00:31:23.349 honey is unique in that it is, first of all. 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:26.359 you know, it's got a pH level because of the 00:31:26.359 --> 00:31:29.920 sugars that inhibits the growth of bacteria and 00:31:29.920 --> 00:31:32.339 things. I mean, we've been using sugar to preserve 00:31:32.339 --> 00:31:35.539 jams and jellies, for example, for eons, right? 00:31:35.980 --> 00:31:38.640 But honey goes much farther than that because 00:31:38.640 --> 00:31:44.619 honey is hygroscopic. That means the bees have 00:31:44.619 --> 00:31:47.480 removed so much moisture from that honey, so 00:31:47.480 --> 00:31:51.099 it's down to usually below 18 % moisture content 00:31:51.099 --> 00:31:54.819 that the honey wants to Draw moisture to itself. 00:31:55.160 --> 00:31:57.640 So actually if you leave a jar of honey with 00:31:57.640 --> 00:32:00.720 the lid off just on your kitchen table For a 00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:03.420 week or two it can draw enough humidity out of 00:32:03.420 --> 00:32:07.640 the air to significantly raise the moisture level 00:32:07.640 --> 00:32:11.940 of the honey in that jar but when honey is fully 00:32:11.940 --> 00:32:14.900 ripened by bees with a moisture level below about 00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:20.220 18 % then nothing harmful to humans can grow 00:32:20.220 --> 00:32:24.180 in that honey because What happens is that honey, 00:32:24.180 --> 00:32:26.920 it wants to attract moisture to itself. So any 00:32:26.920 --> 00:32:30.480 bacteria, for example, that gets into that honey, 00:32:31.079 --> 00:32:33.019 the honey will suck the moisture out of it and 00:32:33.019 --> 00:32:37.099 destroy it and kill it, desiccate it. Honey also, 00:32:37.619 --> 00:32:40.680 if it's raw honey and hasn't been heated, it 00:32:40.680 --> 00:32:43.539 contains still the enzymes that the bees put 00:32:43.539 --> 00:32:46.759 into that honey when they created it. Heat destroys 00:32:46.759 --> 00:32:50.359 enzymes. if it hasn't been heated and it's raw, 00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:54.740 one of the enzymes is glucose oxidase, which 00:32:54.740 --> 00:32:58.059 when that breaks down on your skin, forms the 00:32:58.059 --> 00:33:01.319 number of compounds, including hydrogen peroxide. 00:33:01.799 --> 00:33:05.980 So if you have a cut or a wound and you put honey 00:33:05.980 --> 00:33:11.259 on it, it will release the small amounts of hydrogen 00:33:11.259 --> 00:33:15.460 peroxide continually as it breaks down, so it's 00:33:15.460 --> 00:33:19.509 sterilizing the the wound. It's sucking the moisture 00:33:19.509 --> 00:33:22.190 out of any bacteria it comes in contact with, 00:33:23.289 --> 00:33:29.190 and it's just amazing really for healing of exterior 00:33:29.190 --> 00:33:33.130 wounds. I know for myself, whenever I get a cut 00:33:33.130 --> 00:33:35.430 or something and I don't really take care of 00:33:35.430 --> 00:33:37.490 it properly and start to get reddened and infected, 00:33:38.109 --> 00:33:41.309 I put a little bob of raw honey on it at night 00:33:41.309 --> 00:33:43.670 before I go to bed and cover it with a band -aid 00:33:43.670 --> 00:33:45.880 or a piece of gauze or something. And when I 00:33:45.880 --> 00:33:47.720 wake up in the morning, when I take that band 00:33:47.720 --> 00:33:50.460 -aid or gauze off, every time I've done it, the 00:33:50.460 --> 00:33:53.500 red is gone. It's gotten rid of the infection. 00:33:54.339 --> 00:33:57.740 And in fact, it's so powerful for healing that 00:33:57.740 --> 00:34:01.039 in most countries, not so much here in the United 00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:03.859 States, but like I said, we're all about money 00:34:03.859 --> 00:34:06.380 here. You can't patent natural things like honey. 00:34:06.740 --> 00:34:10.940 But in most countries, the preferred healing 00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:14.440 modality for burns, as you had mentioned, is 00:34:14.440 --> 00:34:19.739 honey. It just is superior to the silver dying 00:34:19.739 --> 00:34:22.500 ointment or whatever it is that most hospitals 00:34:22.500 --> 00:34:25.159 you hear in the US use. Because not only does 00:34:25.159 --> 00:34:27.860 it prevent the site from getting infected, but 00:34:27.860 --> 00:34:31.619 it keeps the wound moist and it actually feeds 00:34:31.619 --> 00:34:35.619 the cells so they can grow back faster. And it's 00:34:35.619 --> 00:34:38.699 a lot more humane, quite frankly. The modern 00:34:38.699 --> 00:34:42.570 day version of the silver impregnated ointment 00:34:42.570 --> 00:34:45.190 that they typically put on burn victims here 00:34:45.190 --> 00:34:48.869 in the US it has to be scraped off each day and 00:34:48.869 --> 00:34:53.969 reapplied and that's an incredibly painful process. 00:34:54.550 --> 00:34:57.309 With honey you put it on and it just absorbs 00:34:57.309 --> 00:34:59.869 in and breaks down naturally there's no scraping 00:34:59.869 --> 00:35:03.170 off the next day you simply lift up the the wound 00:35:03.170 --> 00:35:05.989 dressing and you apply the new honey and you 00:35:05.989 --> 00:35:08.710 cover it back up. It works so much better also 00:35:08.710 --> 00:35:11.329 because they find that when treated with honey 00:35:11.530 --> 00:35:14.710 the typical discoloration of the skin that occurs 00:35:14.710 --> 00:35:18.269 with burn victims is much less than in many cases, 00:35:18.309 --> 00:35:21.750 there is no discoloration. It just heals so much 00:35:21.750 --> 00:35:25.030 better. It's just astounding. It really is. But 00:35:25.030 --> 00:35:28.670 unfortunately, it's not a big moneymaker, which 00:35:28.670 --> 00:35:32.030 is why it's not really promoted and used as much 00:35:32.030 --> 00:35:35.510 as it really should be in my view. Is there such 00:35:35.510 --> 00:35:38.949 a thing as medical grade honey? Or can I take 00:35:38.949 --> 00:35:41.760 honey right out of my hive and put it on a burn. 00:35:42.199 --> 00:35:44.559 Well, there is medical -grade honey. Because 00:35:44.559 --> 00:35:47.099 of all the research that was being done and the 00:35:47.099 --> 00:35:49.519 experience in other countries here in the U .S., 00:35:49.519 --> 00:35:52.659 the Food and Drug Administration finally, after 00:35:52.659 --> 00:35:56.440 many years, approved one certain type of honey 00:35:56.440 --> 00:36:01.500 to be used. It's called Medihoney. And you can 00:36:01.500 --> 00:36:04.179 get it now in hospitals, if they have it. You 00:36:04.179 --> 00:36:07.539 probably have to ask for it. But it is from the 00:36:07.539 --> 00:36:11.190 manuka plant. which is primarily in New Zealand 00:36:11.190 --> 00:36:16.489 and Australia, and it's been, you know, highly 00:36:16.489 --> 00:36:21.389 purified and elediated to kill any germs or viruses. 00:36:21.869 --> 00:36:25.710 It's been treated to be medically acceptable. 00:36:26.130 --> 00:36:31.050 But as you kind of pointed out, really, any honey 00:36:31.050 --> 00:36:36.010 that is raw, unheated and unfiltered will work 00:36:36.010 --> 00:36:40.570 just about as well. It doesn't have to be this 00:36:40.570 --> 00:36:44.510 $35 an ounce honey that the medical establishment 00:36:44.510 --> 00:36:48.670 uses. Your honey from your hive will work quite 00:36:48.670 --> 00:36:51.769 well as well. It may not work as perfect, but 00:36:51.769 --> 00:36:55.230 it will work most likely adequately and sufficiently 00:36:55.230 --> 00:36:59.650 for your use. Thank you. Great explanation. Okay, 00:36:59.710 --> 00:37:02.190 we've talked about using honey topically. How 00:37:02.190 --> 00:37:04.449 about internally? What kinds of things can it 00:37:04.449 --> 00:37:07.760 help us with? Well, one of the reasons why this 00:37:07.760 --> 00:37:10.099 Medi honey was approved is because this manuka 00:37:10.099 --> 00:37:14.039 honey actually in studies was the most effective 00:37:14.039 --> 00:37:17.079 at killing the bacteria that causes ulcers and 00:37:17.079 --> 00:37:20.340 So that's why it got accepted. But so yeah, there's 00:37:20.340 --> 00:37:23.000 a bunch of different uses It can help with sleep 00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:26.059 issues. It can help with weight issues. It helps 00:37:26.059 --> 00:37:28.880 really great with sore throats In fact one study 00:37:28.880 --> 00:37:31.900 that compared it to over -the -counter cough 00:37:31.900 --> 00:37:35.579 syrups, for example with kids The kids liked 00:37:35.579 --> 00:37:38.159 the honey better. It was less expensive and it 00:37:38.159 --> 00:37:40.519 worked better than the over the counter stuff. 00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:43.579 So yeah, there's all kinds, all kinds of, I mean, 00:37:43.579 --> 00:37:45.960 I can't get into all the stuff that really the 00:37:45.960 --> 00:37:48.760 American Apothecary Society will be the place 00:37:48.760 --> 00:37:51.639 to go. If you or your listeners wanted to learn 00:37:51.639 --> 00:37:54.460 more, they're just a clearing house for information 00:37:54.460 --> 00:37:57.559 on the use of honeybee products for healing and 00:37:57.559 --> 00:38:01.219 health. AAS, you can find them online, really 00:38:01.219 --> 00:38:03.159 cheap to become a member. And if you become a 00:38:03.159 --> 00:38:06.579 member, you get access to their international 00:38:06.579 --> 00:38:09.980 list of apotherapists all over the world. People 00:38:09.980 --> 00:38:14.380 who are using the products to help promote healing 00:38:14.380 --> 00:38:17.239 and health. You can get help. Like, for example, 00:38:17.239 --> 00:38:19.300 if you wanted to get bee stings, for example, 00:38:19.400 --> 00:38:21.559 you could find sources for bees. You could find 00:38:21.559 --> 00:38:23.599 maybe people that will apply the bee stings for 00:38:23.599 --> 00:38:26.219 you, that type of thing. We'll put a link to 00:38:26.219 --> 00:38:28.599 their website in the show notes so that people 00:38:28.599 --> 00:38:31.539 can find it easily. All right. Lastly, since 00:38:31.539 --> 00:38:35.019 you just brought up bee stings, Let's talk venom. 00:38:35.539 --> 00:38:37.539 What can you get us started on with bee venom? 00:38:38.099 --> 00:38:39.679 Well, that's the business end of the honeybee, 00:38:39.820 --> 00:38:45.420 right? Yep, bees use the venom to try to discourage 00:38:45.420 --> 00:38:50.119 predators. When a bee stings you, it actually 00:38:50.119 --> 00:38:54.280 unlike all the other stinging insects, the honeybee 00:38:54.280 --> 00:38:57.679 will die. The honeybee stinger is barbed like 00:38:57.679 --> 00:39:01.579 an arrow and because your skin is stretchy. If 00:39:01.579 --> 00:39:04.059 you get stung by a bee, that stinger that tends 00:39:04.059 --> 00:39:06.739 to get caught in your skin, the bee will pull 00:39:06.739 --> 00:39:10.840 so hard to try to remove the stinger, it'll rip 00:39:10.840 --> 00:39:15.679 out its entrails, and within a fairly short period 00:39:15.679 --> 00:39:19.179 of time, it will die. So it's not in the honeybee's 00:39:19.179 --> 00:39:21.400 interest to go around stinging people for no 00:39:21.400 --> 00:39:23.840 reason, right? First of all, people need to know 00:39:23.840 --> 00:39:25.980 they're only going to sting if they feel threatened. 00:39:26.849 --> 00:39:30.489 If you are really close to the hive or disturbing 00:39:30.489 --> 00:39:34.110 their hive, if you are swatting at them or something, 00:39:34.130 --> 00:39:36.130 it may feel personally like you're trying to, 00:39:36.130 --> 00:39:37.690 and while you step on them or something, then 00:39:37.690 --> 00:39:39.909 they'll sting you. But normally, honey bees, 00:39:40.610 --> 00:39:42.150 they're really gentle creatures. They're not 00:39:42.150 --> 00:39:43.989 looking for problems and trouble, and they're 00:39:43.989 --> 00:39:46.570 not going to bother people. What are people using 00:39:46.570 --> 00:39:52.889 bee venom for? Primarily for things like rheumatoid 00:39:52.889 --> 00:39:58.079 diseases, like arthritis. and for multiple sclerosis. 00:39:58.260 --> 00:40:00.219 It can help with shingles, things like that. 00:40:00.300 --> 00:40:02.639 All these rheumatoid -type diseases seem to be 00:40:02.639 --> 00:40:05.500 very effective. And there's some certain types 00:40:05.500 --> 00:40:08.900 of cancers that have been helped with B -venom. 00:40:09.139 --> 00:40:11.719 This is all kind of experimental, if you will. 00:40:12.280 --> 00:40:16.920 There's no standard protocols that are approved. 00:40:17.860 --> 00:40:20.780 And all these products, they're natural products. 00:40:21.099 --> 00:40:23.019 Like I said, they're not patented or anything. 00:40:23.420 --> 00:40:27.300 Mostly what they all do is they're about building 00:40:27.300 --> 00:40:30.579 up the body's immune system so the body can heal 00:40:30.579 --> 00:40:34.900 itself. I think any physician or health practitioner, 00:40:34.900 --> 00:40:37.039 if they're honest, they'll tell you they don't 00:40:37.039 --> 00:40:40.079 heal people. They try to create the environment 00:40:40.079 --> 00:40:43.539 where the body can then do the healing that it 00:40:43.539 --> 00:40:47.239 needs to do to deal with the situation. And that's 00:40:47.239 --> 00:40:50.679 what apotherapy is about, building up the body's 00:40:50.679 --> 00:40:52.980 immune response so it can start to heal itself. 00:40:53.369 --> 00:40:56.849 and help the body get to heal. Is it the body 00:40:56.849 --> 00:40:59.230 that does the healing, not the treatment real 00:40:59.230 --> 00:41:01.909 ultimately, right? You just want to create the 00:41:01.909 --> 00:41:03.769 environment for the body to be able to do that, 00:41:03.849 --> 00:41:06.969 what it needs to do. I saw recently an article 00:41:06.969 --> 00:41:09.769 from, I forget which country in Europe, where 00:41:09.769 --> 00:41:12.909 they had set up a thing where people were breathing 00:41:12.909 --> 00:41:17.690 hive air. They had like a tube that went into 00:41:17.690 --> 00:41:20.710 the hive and a little face mask on the other 00:41:20.710 --> 00:41:23.469 end and you could sit there and just breathe 00:41:23.469 --> 00:41:26.409 hive air. Have you ever heard of that? Oh yeah, 00:41:26.590 --> 00:41:29.070 yeah this is a kind of a newer thing. There are 00:41:29.070 --> 00:41:32.989 even like beds that are above the hive and then 00:41:32.989 --> 00:41:36.570 all the air feeds into this little room or kind 00:41:36.570 --> 00:41:38.690 of that you you crawl into and you can sleep 00:41:38.690 --> 00:41:42.570 there and get exposed to the the smell of the 00:41:42.570 --> 00:41:45.619 hive basically. And you know, it's got the aromatic 00:41:45.619 --> 00:41:49.420 compounds from the propolis. And primarily, it's 00:41:49.420 --> 00:41:52.980 probably the biggest part of it. And it can apparently 00:41:52.980 --> 00:41:55.800 help with certain things in certain conditions. 00:41:56.639 --> 00:41:59.800 In getting back to the bee venom, if I may. Yes, 00:41:59.800 --> 00:42:02.599 please. I just want to explain a little bit about 00:42:02.599 --> 00:42:05.000 how it seems to work. When you get stung with 00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:06.940 a bee, you know, it kind of hurts. That always 00:42:06.940 --> 00:42:10.860 is the case. So typically, what you want to do... 00:42:11.070 --> 00:42:14.429 If you're getting bee stings for therapeutic 00:42:14.429 --> 00:42:18.030 purposes, you want to put some ice or something 00:42:18.030 --> 00:42:20.309 frozen on the area that you're going to sting 00:42:20.309 --> 00:42:23.530 ahead of time so that it kind of numbs the area, 00:42:23.590 --> 00:42:26.210 and that way the bee sting itself doesn't hurt 00:42:26.210 --> 00:42:30.070 as much. And then when you do get stung, of course, 00:42:30.309 --> 00:42:33.190 all the blood rushes to the area, which is why 00:42:33.190 --> 00:42:36.429 often you get swelling. Like with any treatment, 00:42:36.650 --> 00:42:38.570 any kind of medical treatment, there's side effects 00:42:38.570 --> 00:42:43.420 with bee stings. swelling, itchy redness, might 00:42:43.420 --> 00:42:46.900 be sore and painful, that type of thing. And 00:42:46.900 --> 00:42:48.639 the reason you get the swelling, of course, is 00:42:48.639 --> 00:42:51.500 because all the blood is rushing to that area. 00:42:52.039 --> 00:42:55.199 And that, though, is bringing the healing properties 00:42:55.199 --> 00:42:58.480 that are in your blood to focus on the area that 00:42:58.480 --> 00:43:01.780 you've stung. And those areas tend to be the 00:43:01.780 --> 00:43:05.099 areas that hurt the most, is typically how Charlie 00:43:05.099 --> 00:43:07.480 Maas would do it, which he explains in his book, 00:43:07.880 --> 00:43:09.199 A Health and the Honey Bee, I think it's called. 00:43:09.769 --> 00:43:12.650 Basically, he would press all around the joint, 00:43:13.090 --> 00:43:14.989 just bothering a person, and find the places 00:43:14.989 --> 00:43:18.010 that hurt the most, and with a pen, you know, 00:43:18.210 --> 00:43:20.730 just a little dot on that spot, so he knew where 00:43:20.730 --> 00:43:23.829 to apply the sting. And you apply the ice to 00:43:23.829 --> 00:43:26.610 it first to numb it, and then he would reach 00:43:26.610 --> 00:43:28.909 into a jar that he collected some bees in with 00:43:28.909 --> 00:43:32.309 a pair of forceps, and grab the bee and touch 00:43:32.309 --> 00:43:35.309 the tip of the abdomen, tune that spot, so the 00:43:35.309 --> 00:43:38.280 bee would deposit its stinger. in the skin and 00:43:38.280 --> 00:43:41.280 then leave it there for a good 10 minutes or 00:43:41.280 --> 00:43:44.360 so to allow all the venom to be deposited into 00:43:44.360 --> 00:43:47.500 the site. And one of the things that researchers 00:43:47.500 --> 00:43:50.960 have found is that the bee venom stimulates the 00:43:50.960 --> 00:43:55.260 body's production of cortisol. Cortisol is the 00:43:55.260 --> 00:43:59.820 natural version of cortisone, which is the drug 00:43:59.820 --> 00:44:04.000 that's patented. and provided to people who have 00:44:04.000 --> 00:44:06.800 pain from arthritis, for example. It helps to 00:44:06.800 --> 00:44:10.440 relieve that pain. Well, cortisol does that naturally. 00:44:10.519 --> 00:44:13.260 That's the body's version. The problem is the 00:44:13.260 --> 00:44:17.079 cortisone shot that you get, that chemical is 00:44:17.079 --> 00:44:21.320 not exactly the same formulation as the cortisol 00:44:21.320 --> 00:44:24.480 that your body produces. And when you get lots 00:44:24.480 --> 00:44:27.539 of these cortisone shots over a long period of 00:44:27.539 --> 00:44:30.059 time, it can cause real bad problems with the 00:44:30.059 --> 00:44:32.630 liver. and it could potentially kill you after 00:44:32.630 --> 00:44:34.670 a long period of time. But you don't get those 00:44:34.670 --> 00:44:37.590 kind of side effects with the cortisol that your 00:44:37.590 --> 00:44:40.530 body produces, because it is totally in harmony 00:44:40.530 --> 00:44:42.690 with your body. Your body made it. It's meant 00:44:42.690 --> 00:44:45.889 to be there. The production of cortisol by the 00:44:45.889 --> 00:44:49.010 body, though, has been found to require a block 00:44:49.010 --> 00:44:53.250 of vitamin C and B vitamins. And so people that 00:44:53.250 --> 00:44:56.150 are going to be using bee stings for healing, 00:44:56.650 --> 00:44:59.710 especially pain treatment, try to reduce pain, 00:44:59.849 --> 00:45:03.510 symptoms, it's a good idea to be taking one to 00:45:03.510 --> 00:45:07.150 two thousand milligrams of vitamin C and a multi 00:45:07.150 --> 00:45:09.989 -B complex that has all the B vitamins in it. 00:45:10.030 --> 00:45:13.130 Take one of those about an hour or so before 00:45:13.130 --> 00:45:16.409 you get stung so that your body has all the raw 00:45:16.409 --> 00:45:18.750 materials it needs to produce the maximum amount 00:45:18.750 --> 00:45:21.150 of cortisol so you can get the best benefit. 00:45:21.730 --> 00:45:23.750 Okay, I just learned two things because I've 00:45:23.750 --> 00:45:26.269 tried this a little bit. First of all, I thought 00:45:26.269 --> 00:45:29.010 you had to go for the full pain and I haven't 00:45:29.010 --> 00:45:31.969 done the ice cube thing, which seems like a super 00:45:31.969 --> 00:45:35.449 good idea. And second is the BNC vitamin. So 00:45:35.449 --> 00:45:38.389 thank you for that. There's a lot more to it 00:45:38.389 --> 00:45:40.250 too, which is why I recommend people get in touch 00:45:40.250 --> 00:45:42.769 with the American Apitherapy Society. You know, 00:45:42.889 --> 00:45:44.849 you got to take basic precautions. It's a good 00:45:44.849 --> 00:45:47.289 idea to have an EpiPen on hand because even though 00:45:47.289 --> 00:45:52.599 it's a true life -threatening Allergy, hyperallergic 00:45:52.599 --> 00:45:56.059 response to bee venom is very rare in the population. 00:45:56.139 --> 00:45:58.219 It could potentially happen. It's good to have 00:45:58.219 --> 00:46:01.860 an idea, have an epinephrine injector pen handy 00:46:01.860 --> 00:46:03.980 in case you go into anaphylactic shock, which 00:46:03.980 --> 00:46:06.420 is a potential side effect from getting bee stings. 00:46:06.920 --> 00:46:09.639 But also, because of the swelling that's involved, 00:46:09.699 --> 00:46:11.340 if you're going to sting your hands or something, 00:46:11.880 --> 00:46:14.440 remove your jewelry first. Take off your rings. 00:46:14.800 --> 00:46:16.719 Don't wear those things because if your fingers 00:46:16.719 --> 00:46:20.980 swell up in that... Ring is constricting it could 00:46:20.980 --> 00:46:23.920 cut off the blood supply and cause problems common 00:46:23.920 --> 00:46:27.440 sense. Sorry to laugh such a good good good advice 00:46:27.440 --> 00:46:30.099 there Thank you Ross. Hey, we're running out 00:46:30.099 --> 00:46:32.780 of time any last thoughts on this whole topic 00:46:32.780 --> 00:46:35.400 before I let you go Well, if I said in the beginning, 00:46:35.780 --> 00:46:38.519 you know everything from the beehive is so incredibly 00:46:38.519 --> 00:46:42.039 healing for the world and that's why I'm really 00:46:42.039 --> 00:46:46.860 distressed that how Bad the honeybees are suffering 00:46:46.860 --> 00:46:50.179 these days and how difficult it is and how much 00:46:50.179 --> 00:46:52.159 of a challenge beekeepers are having trying to 00:46:52.159 --> 00:46:55.960 keep the bees alive. We're not being the kind 00:46:55.960 --> 00:46:59.440 of stewards for this incredible world that was 00:46:59.440 --> 00:47:02.780 inherited, that we should be. One of the things 00:47:02.780 --> 00:47:07.599 that I've learned from the bees is that it takes, 00:47:07.599 --> 00:47:11.400 they estimate, a honeybee working its entire 00:47:11.400 --> 00:47:15.000 life gathering nectar to produce honey can produce 00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:19.329 about one -twelfth of a teaspoon. of honey. So 00:47:19.329 --> 00:47:22.369 12 bees working their whole lifetime can produce 00:47:22.369 --> 00:47:24.929 one teaspoon of honey that you get to enjoy in 00:47:24.929 --> 00:47:28.530 your coffee or your tea. But yet to get through 00:47:28.530 --> 00:47:31.469 an entire year, such as in a place, a cold place, 00:47:31.590 --> 00:47:34.610 especially like Vermont, the bees need 150 to 00:47:34.610 --> 00:47:38.289 200 pounds of honey. And yet the bee itself can 00:47:38.289 --> 00:47:41.320 only gather a twelfth of a teaspoon. that it 00:47:41.320 --> 00:47:44.739 seems so insignificant and yet the honeybee doesn't 00:47:44.739 --> 00:47:48.440 fall for the illusion that what they do is insignificant, 00:47:48.760 --> 00:47:50.460 right? The bee is going to do what it can do 00:47:50.460 --> 00:47:53.760 and it counts on all its other hive mates to 00:47:53.760 --> 00:47:56.300 do what they can do and together they can make 00:47:56.300 --> 00:47:58.579 miracles happen. Hundreds of pounds of honey 00:47:58.579 --> 00:48:04.489 and so when people look at the challenges that 00:48:04.489 --> 00:48:07.670 we are being faced with today and all so many 00:48:07.670 --> 00:48:10.690 different areas from the the climate and the 00:48:10.690 --> 00:48:14.670 environment and the economic system and our government 00:48:14.670 --> 00:48:18.650 system and health care and energy and education 00:48:18.650 --> 00:48:21.469 and everything often it can feel overwhelming 00:48:21.469 --> 00:48:26.329 but the reality is everything you do can have 00:48:26.329 --> 00:48:29.610 an effect be a power of one person can make a 00:48:29.610 --> 00:48:32.630 difference especially when it's combined with 00:48:33.349 --> 00:48:36.849 millions if not billions of other people's operas. 00:48:37.050 --> 00:48:40.449 And so that gives me a lot of inspiration to 00:48:40.449 --> 00:48:43.030 not give up and to do what I can every day and 00:48:43.030 --> 00:48:46.050 do it now. The time has come for us to all start 00:48:46.050 --> 00:48:48.849 doing what we know needs to be done and stop 00:48:48.849 --> 00:48:50.929 putting things off or thinking someone else is 00:48:50.929 --> 00:48:53.510 going to take care of things. We need to start 00:48:53.510 --> 00:48:57.710 taking action ourselves to create the world we 00:48:57.710 --> 00:49:01.219 want and be the change we want to see. So thank 00:49:01.219 --> 00:49:04.139 you, Eric, for doing what you do. You've just 00:49:04.139 --> 00:49:06.139 brought up so many things that we love about 00:49:06.139 --> 00:49:08.039 honey bees, and that's what this show is all 00:49:08.039 --> 00:49:10.920 about. And thank you very much, Ross. I appreciate 00:49:10.920 --> 00:49:16.440 your time. You're welcome. Take care. Thanks 00:49:16.440 --> 00:49:18.960 again for joining us here on Bee Love Beekeeping, 00:49:19.320 --> 00:49:22.780 presented by Man Lake. Another great place for 00:49:22.780 --> 00:49:25.780 more information on everything related to this 00:49:25.780 --> 00:49:29.260 podcast is in our email newsletter. You can sign 00:49:29.260 --> 00:49:32.840 up for it for free at BeLoveBekeeping .com. And 00:49:32.840 --> 00:49:34.900 remember, if you're not just in it for the honey 00:49:34.900 --> 00:49:37.719 or the money, you're in it for the love. See 00:49:37.719 --> 00:49:38.440 you next week.