Today was a rainy Sunday and my parents invited me to join them to visit a honey bee farm in Batangas province, which is a short drive from our home.  I have never been to a honey bee farm so I thought it might actually be interesting and it really was. My dad's Rotary Club is thinking of encouraging communities to engage in this simple business. 

The operation we visited was not too big, but it is able to produce enough honey for its store right at the front part of the farm or beeyard.  The beekeeper is Mr. Benny Tapay.  He showed us the actual beehives (houses) were the honey bees produce the honey in honeycombs that they create.  The honey bees go out and extract pollen from the flowering plants and convert it into honey.  When the natural area does not provide enough pollen, the beekeeper supplements the beehive with sugar.  

Honey is a product that is good for the health.  It is known as a cough suppressant.  When I have cough, my mom gives me a spoon of honey which instantly relieves my sore throat.  It also alleviates allergies by helping the body  build antibodies to pollen.  Honey is a natural antibiotic and is said to be good in healing wounds and burns. Some studies show honey is also helpful as an anti-dandruff concoction and a memory booster because it is rich in antioxidants.  Googling honey will show you even more benefits to our health.

Honey bees help our environment in many ways. Their biggest role is to help in pollinating vegetables, fruits and other food crops. They fertilize plants so they grow and produce the vegetables and fruits we need as part of our diet.   A big percentage of our crops and wild plants grow well because of the cross-pollination that honey bees do.  Without the honey bees a lot of our food crops would become extinct. 

Before this visit to the honey bee farm, I never really thought about how beneficial the honey bee is to our health and also to our environment.  I used to think they were just a pest that could give me a a painful sting.  I now have a bigger respect for the honey bee that buzzes around in the garden.