#pollen #allergies #honey
This video is presented by https://ForestBeehive.com
This honeybee is from our ForestBeehive apiary in Central Maine. It is collecting pollen from common ragweed – a wildflower abundant in North America. Although ragweed pollen is responsible for many human allergies, for honeybees it’s a major source of nutrition here.
Our honeybees carry a lot of bright yellow ragweed pollen to feed their brood with. When such raw pollen is collected and sold as a separate commercial product by some conventional apiaries, its allergy-causing properties are only enhanced as it gets more concentrated.
WEB MD warns of possible severe allergic reactions to raw bee pollen.
On the other hand, consuming local honey containing trace amounts of matured, fermented bee pollen that in its raw form could trigger allergies, can actually help allergy sufferers. Here’s a recent study how local honey consumption alleviates allergies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24188941/
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