Bees and honey go hand in hand, but an interesting discovery from biologists published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” has led researchers to conclude that honey plays a more important role for bees than simply as a staple food source. Honey as it turns out is one of nature’s detox pharmaceuticals which stimulates genes for detoxification of chemicals and production of antimicrobial agents in the immune system of bees. The discovery of this came about after analyzing differences in the immune systems of wild bees and those used for commercial production of honey.
Bees that are kept in captivity to produce honey for human food sources are not fed the honey that they produce in their hives. Instead these insects are fed sugar and protein rich supplements while their honey is collected and packaged for sale to humans. It has been traditionally thought that the sole purpose of honey production by honeybees was done as a form of food storage for the winter when flowers do not produce the nectar and pollen necessary to feed the colony. Entomologist May Berenbaum from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her colleagues have found that this sweet food activates p-coumaric acid which is used in the immune system for detoxification.
Why should humans care about the health of bees?
Bees are perhaps one of the most essential insects to maintain plant health for a variety of agricultural and cosmetic purposes. In recent years bees have been afflicted by a number of strange occurrences some of which have baffled scientists such as the disappearance of workers from some colonies. With an increase in use of insecticides in crops and antimite treatments used in their hives by commercial honey harvesters, the ability for these insects to maintain their healthy lifestyles have been waning in the past decade. This has led to debates between entomologists in the scientific community to ponder what changes need to be made in the diets provided for commercial honeybees.
It has been observed that honeybees who collect pollen from a variety of flowers build a healthier immune system than those fed artificial diets by humans. Remarkably, honeybees are said to have approximately one third the amount of detoxifying genes that most other insects possess despite being exposed to a number of different chemical compounds sourcing from the variety of pollen they acquire from different types of flowers. This leads many to believe that honey is more essential to the diet of bees than was once thought due to their natural deficiency in detoxifying genes.
The immune system of honeybees has not been studied in detail until recently however more extensive research still needs to be conducted to arrive at an appropriate conclusion on the best method to improve health in bees. It has been discovered that the detoxifying genes in honeybees lack the ability to turn on at the presence of toxins in their system like most animals and insects, but that these are activated through the consumption of pollen. Luckily as their staple food source this helps to ensure that their detox capability is still functional. May Berenbaum stresses the importance of pinpointing an accurate assessment on the correct dose of p-coumaric acid for honeybees to avoid overdosing their systems and potentially damaging overall bee health from a misunderstanding of their natural diet’s balance.
Health Benefits of Honey
Honey has long been known as a healthy food source which provides a number of benefits for humans including an energy boost, immune system boost and a source of carbohydrates. Used by athletes, this food contains natural sugars and fructose which provide a quick boost to energy and a sustainable long term boost as well as fructose is absorbed in the human body. In addition to these benefits honey has long been known as a supplement for antioxidants and antiseptic home remedies and is used to treat hangovers, sore throats and sleepiness.
Tags: biologists, entomologists, pharmaceuticals