Busy Bees

To be able to produce 500 grams of honey in the Neckar, a honey bee has to fly about 120,000 kilometres. This corresponds to a distance of 3 round-the-world flights.

No bee can do this all by itself. Especially since life outside the beehive is much more dangerous than the children's series, "Maya the Bee" would have us believe. In fact, the live performance of a single honey bee fits onto a slightly larger teaspoon.

The coexistence of bees is fascinating. In the dark, they build their combs as exact hexagons. Some bees start in one corner, some in the other. But the pattern is perfect when they meet in the middle. Communication experts, in particular, are amazed by how these many individuals manage to achieve great things together. And they do it without being able to speak, or maybe that's the secret...?

Another product of the bee is beeswax, which is a secretion from its wax glands. Beeswax is an essential component of many care products and medicines and is also used in the manufacture of candles. Even good ear candles contain at least 70% pure beeswax in the wax portion.

 Beeswax candles, including ear candles with a high beeswax content, burn more quietly and slightly less hot than paraffin candles. In contrast to these, beeswax candles get better and better over time. I always buy my Christmas tree candles in stock and only use those that are at least one year old. They burn even better and produce practically no soot anymore.

For us, the bee is irreplaceable. It is so small, and yet it does so much for us. No wonder why they say: "You are a busy bee.