The six bee products have different roles in the bee colony.
Honey is the energy source for the bees, pollen is mainly their protein source,
necessary for bringing up a numerous offspring.
Royal jelly is the special food that bees feed their queen, so that she can live much longer than a normal worker bee, and thus able to lay millions of eggs and to secure the continuity of the
bee colony.
Bees use beeswax for constructing their house and propolis to keep it free of germs.
And last but not least: the sixth product, bee venom is the deadly poison that bees use to protect themselves.
For us humans honey, royal jelly and pollen are food with health enhancing functional food properties.
The other three bee products are mainly used for therapeutic purposes.
Besides their use for human nutrition and health, bee products can be used for many other purposes.
Value Added Products from Beekeeping
Rainer Krell