Bee Products

Bee Products

Introduction

Bee products are considered as one of the most appropriate and most used natural product from ancient time. Honey bees are one of the most productive and they are also considered as chemical engineers and master chemical. They are well known because of their productivity as well as the application of their products. Bee venom, beeswax, honey, royal jelly and pollen are the most common products of bees (Vaughan & Judd, 2006). From all of these products venom, bees wax and royal jelly are chemically formed by the bees themselves. On the other hand pollen, propolis and honey are derived from different plants and are engineered and modified by the bees for their personal use (Vaughan & Judd, 2006).

Bee products have various effects on environment as well as on human health. For instance, if the bee pollen is considered than it highly influence the human health and environment. It may cause various types of allergies and other respiratory diseases. Bees are important for the pollination of ninety different vegetables and fruits worldwide. It has been calculated that the annual economic cost of the pollinating action of honey bees in the United States is about 14.6 billion dollars.

Bees are also an important part of environment because various wild plants depend on the pollination process of bees. Therefore the death of bees is responsible for greatest lost for both the beekeepers as well as for the economy of the country. Studies and surveys show that insect fungus and viruses are responsible for the decline in population of bees. Several researches have been done on the death of bees caused by these fungus and viruses. Scientists and researchers found a moth virus known as Nosema and iridescent virus in the dead bees. It is a fungal parasite which caused various complexities in the life of bees and afterwards, leads them to death (Woodward, 2012).

Discussion

Origin of bee products

Bee keeping industry is one of the biggest industries which are responsible to supply bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly and honey. China is considered as one of the biggest supplier of bee products. In the year 2002, reports and researches from Canada, United States and Europe showed that samples of honey, which are imported from china, has some traces of the chloramphenicol (antibiotic) (Goudie, 2009). This antibiotic is not allowed in the food products of these countries. After wards bee products started to manufacture in United States, Canada and in European countries. In most of the countries bee products like bee pollen is considered as the medicine for the treatment of various allergies and infections. Pollens are extracted from plants therefore; they are pure and have proper identification (Woodward, 2012). Therefore it can be used for the treatment of severe allergies. Bee pollen can also be used for curing several prostate problems. In this scenario pollen is commonly recommended in its dry tablet form as gathered by the bees. Pollens which are from different regions and countries are equally effective for the treatment ...