Intermiel - Bee farm, meadery, maple grove & distillery


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Bee products

Royal jelly | Propolis | Pollen | beeswax

Royal jelly

Royal Jelly is a substance of complex chemical structure produced by the young nurse bees as larva food. Although it is not quite as well known as bee pollen, royal jelly equals pollen in its salutary effects.

The young nurse bees make royal jelly, it is a secretion from glands on the tops of their heads. For 2-3 days, royal jelly is the only food given to all young larvae in their maturation process, while for the queen larvae, it is the specific food for their whole life period. During the 3 days in which the worker bee larvae are fed on royal jelly, they reach the maximum development; their weight multiplies about 250 times.
The queen (fed only on royal jelly for her entire life) reaches maturity 5 days earlier than the worker bees; and, when she is fully grown, her weight is double that of the working bee. The span of the worker bee's life is about 35-40 days; while the queen lives 5-6 years and is extremely prolific. She is fertilized once, and from that moment on can lay as many as three thousand eggs a day during the season. As incredible as this may seem, she can lay that many eggs for five years. Any creature that has that amount of energy and vitality has to be respected!
This rich concentrated food is not just useful for the bees. It contains remarkable amounts of proteins, lipids, glucides, vitamins, hormones, enzymes, mineral substances, and specific vital factors that act as biocatalysts in cell regeneration processes within the human body.

Although some of the elements found in royal jelly are in microgram quantities, they still can act supremely with co-enzymes as catalysts or can act synergistically. (That is, the elements' action combined is greater than the sum of their actions taken separately.) Royal jelly is rich in protein, vitamins B-1, B-2, B-6, C, E, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, inositol and folic acid. In fact, it contains seventeen times as much pantothenic acid as that found in dry pollen.

Propolis

It is said that Propolis is the most natural antibiotic man has ever discovered. The remarkable thing about this statement is the fact that this discovery took place some 2000 years ago. A lot of people probably haven't even heard about Propolis, and yet, ancient herbal books prescribed Propolis for numerous complaints. The bactericidal qualities of this medicine have been known since the beginning of written history.

The term "propolis" comes from two Greek words: "pro," which means "before," and "polis," which means "city." This ancient term came into being centuries ago when some early Greek student of Nature established the fact that honeybees use propolis to narrow the opening into their "cities," or hives, to keep out unwelcomed intruders. Many sources attribute the word to Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

The use of Propolis in popular medicine goes back all the way to ancient times. Egyptians, Greeks and Romans reported the use of Propolis for its general healing qualities and for the cure of some lesions of the skin. Since the 12th century in Europe, folk remedy has attributed an important place to Propolis for certain preparations for external use. However, it has only been in the last twenty years that scientists have been able to prove that Propolis is as active and important as our forefathers thought.

Propolis is now considered an important part of dietetics and a natural cure by the World Health Organization. Its popularity is ever increasing, due to its many possibilities. The concentrations of flavonoids seem to be responsible for the great antibiotic effects of Propolis. Flavonoids possess many potent curative effects. Forty-one of these substances have been recognized by science. Our honeybees collect resins as a basic material on the buds of poplars, birches, pine trees etc. After the resin is chewed by the honeybee, and with the addition of saliva, other substances are formed. The finished product is called Propolis. Propolis is of vital importance for the survival of the bees. Not only does it protect them against diseases, but also against climatic changes, such as wind and cold. Raw Propolis is harvested by scraping Propolis buildup from wooden hive parts or by using specially constructed screens. Extraction is used to remove beeswax, resinous substances, non-active components and other impurities before being used in a variety of natural health products.

Pollen

"Bee pollen is often referred to as nature's most complete food. Human consumption of bee pollen is praised in the Bible, other religious books, and ancient Chinese and Egyptian texts.

It has long been prescribed by traditional health practitioners-including the fathers of Western medicine Hippocrates, Pliny the Elder, and Pythagoras-for its healing properties. Bee pollen rejuvenates your body, stimulates organs and glands, enhances vitality, and brings about a longer life span. Bee pollen's ability to consistently and noticeably increase energy levels makes it a favorite substance among many world class athletes and those interested in sustaining and enhancing quality performance."

Bee Pollen contains the male gametes of plants found as small dust pellets in the stamen of flowers. It is gathered from pollen laden bees with a special device placed at the entrance of the hive designed to brush the material from their hind legs. Bee Pollen has been called nature's perfect food. It is very rich in vitamins and contains almost all known minerals, trace elements, enzymes and amino acids. It contains the essence of every plant from which bees collect pollen, in combination with digestive enzymes from the bees.