I grew up with a beekeeper as a father.
It wasn't his full time gig, but it did take up some time.
It was just something he had always been interested in-keeping bees and making honey.
It really was a great experience, growing up with fresh honey all the time.
We had honey in our tea, on pancakes, and to help allergies.
When I moved away from home, I truly understood how much the honey was helping my allergies! You see, because the bees make their honey by collecting pollen from flowers and plants, they are collecting the very pollen which I am allergic to.
In an amazing twist of fate, much like immunizing against polio using polio, if you eat the honey of a local bee, then you are less likely to suffer from allergies in that local area.
You are essentially immunizing yourself against the local pollen.
This is a great reason for keeping bees and making honey.
Many people don't realize the health benefits that bees offer.
The allergy "innoculation" is just one of them.
Another is that if you get stung by a bee, it will help with arthritis.
This is no old wives tale.
People used to come to my father's farm all the time for the chance to get stung by a bee to relieve their arthritis.
I know it sounds crazy, but it really works.
Overall, I am so glad that my father had a hobby of keeping bees and making honey.
It helped me understand what an amazing and useful creature the honeybee is.