In this Beekeeping Today Podcast Short, Dr. Dewey Caron returns with another insightful "audio postcard," this time exploring the marvel of honey—its meaning for honey bees, its significance for beekeepers, and its surprising impact on human health. Dewey begins by examining how we define honey, touching on both scientific and regulatory perspectives, including recent efforts like the proposed Honey Integrity Act. He then dives into how honey is processed by bees—from nectar foraging to enzyme transformation and evaporation—highlighting the bee-to-bee communication system of trophallaxis that powers the hive's food-sharing network. Beyond the hive, Dewey explores honey's powerful medicinal properties. Drawing from a comprehensive mega-review of over 100 studies, he outlines honey's antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and even anti-cancer effects, with a focus on manuka honey's growing use in clinical wound care. Finally, he turns the spotlight on beekeeper-to-bee communication—urging beekeepers to proactively manage supers and recognize nectar flows to support colony health and maximize harvest. Whether you're fascinated by bee biology or interested in honey as a functional food, this episode is packed with sweet insight. Links & Resources: Saeed Samarghandian, Tahereh Farkhondeh and Fariborz Samini, 2017. Honey and Health: A Review of Recent Clinical Research. Pharmacognosy Res. Apr-Jun;9(2):121– 27. doi: 10.4103/0974-8490.204647 Crailsheim, Craig, 1998. Trophallactic interactions in the adult honeybee (Apis mellifera L). https://www.apidologie.org/articles/apido/pdf/1998/01/Apidologie_0044-8435_1998_29_1-2_ART0006.pdf Collison, Clarence 2017. Trophallaxis. Bee Culture https://beeculture.com/a-closer-look-12/ Tezze, A.A. and W.M. Farina 1999. Trophallaxis in the honeybee, Apis mellifera: the interactions between viscosity and sucrose concentration of the transferred solution. Anim. Behav. 57: 1319-1326. Brought to you by Betterbee – your partners in better beekeeping. ______________ Betterbee is the presenting sponsor of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Betterbee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com Copyright © 2025 by Growing Planet Media, LLC
