Honeycomb, also known as beeswax, is an edible delicacy made by bees that some believe can reduce seasonal allergies. However, vegans may object to the harvesting process, which can harm bees. The hexagonal structure of the honeycomb is precisely built by bees and is used to store food and nurture young bees. It can be found in health food stores and farmers’ markets.
A honeycomb is the amazing structure that bees build with honey. It can also be called beeswax and is edible. Some people consider eating honeycomb a delicacy, since it might be called extra-concentrated honey. It takes about 16 grams of honey to produce one gram of the waxy structure that makes up the honeycomb. Others eat honeycomb of specific types in hopes it will reduce seasonal allergies. There is very little evidence to support that it works, but it may be the tastiest remedy for allergies.
When beekeepers harvest honey, they remove sections of the comb and place it in a centrifuge to remove the liquid honey that drips from each hex in the comb. Some people object to this, and it is virtually impossible to make cruelty-free honey. Some bees get stuck in the comb sections and are killed in the process. For this reason vegans can refrain from eating honey products. It is extremely important to keep the bee population high to sustain an active hive, so whilst there may be some bees that inadvertently enter the comb when it is being processed, beekeepers try to keep this to a minimum.
Scientists and anyone who has seen a honeycomb is absolutely amazed at its structure. Typically, each piece of the comb is hexagonal (six-sided), with a precise 120-degree angle to each side. This may bend a bit when the comb is cut or worked, but the pattern is nearly identical from one hex to the next. People are amazed at how precisely bees build each section of the comb, but size matters to bees. They store food there, expel the honey into the comb, and use each comb to nurture the young bees. Precision in architecture is probably involved in the survival of the bee population.
You can find honeycomb at health food stores, some specialty markets, and sometimes at local farmers’ markets. It’s definitely worth a try. As a food for people, honeycomb doesn’t have many practical applications, although honey is certainly an excellent sweetener. Other animals, particularly brown and black bears, consume honeycomb when they can get it. While taking it like bears do, straight from the hive, it’s not recommended for people not wearing proper safety gear. As many know, bees are not very forgiving.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
