Why is ethically gathered beeswax and honey so important?
It has a lot to with Winter.
Bees prepare for the Winter by gathering a cold weather reserve of honey.
When temps drop to about 50 degrees, honeybees head to the hive.
As the weather gets colder, honeybees form a “Winter cluster” by gathering in a central area of their hive.
Bees are focused at this time on keeping the queen bee safe and warm.
Worker bees form a cluster around their queen. They flutter their wings and shiver to keep the inside temperature of the hive warm.
All this shivering, which can go on for up to 5 months, takes a great deal of energy that is fueled by the honey that they’ve been making all Spring and Summer.
Beekeepers must make sure that their bees have enough natural honey to get them through the Winter when they harvest.
Unfortunately some beekeepers remove all the honey and substitute sugar water or high fructose corn syrup.
This substituted food lacks the nutrients honeybees need to thrive and many of them become malnourished and die.
For those that do survive, their immune systems are so compromised that they cannot survive the parasites and pathogens that they encounter in warmer months.
