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Background
Background
Insects appear in religion as both living organisms and symbols. Among these are Bees with extraordinary use and significance. Bees are incredible insects that are essential for human existence. They provide honey and wax, serve as pollinators in the ecosystem, and they hold immense cultural and religious significance. In religion, bees are portrayed in both positive and negative ways. The Bible has an estimated 100 references to insects. Bees have a relationship with humans for many centuries. Honey and beeswax are essential resources, honey is seen as a divine gift.
On this website, you can learn the significance and usage of bees in some popular religions like Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam.
Bee History
Bee History
Bees first appeared approximately 130 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. The earliest recorded bee was found in Myanmar, approximately 100 million years old. In the early days of bee discovery, bees were predatory eating other insects for survival rather than seeking nectar and pollen. Notably, at the time, bees were also part of the Wasp family, Crabronidae. About 120 million years ago, morphological changes resulted in longer tongues, pollen baskets, and increased fuzziness. As a result of the improved ability, bees transitioned from predatory wasps to collect pollen.
Present day there are roughly 20,000 species. It is believed that bees are responsible for the rich flower diversity in today's world. Most plants can not self-pollinate and rely on bees. As a token for their service, bees are rewarded with nutritious nectar. The bees then transport the nectar back to the hive to share with the Queen and feed the hive bees and larvae.
In the early days, beekeeping was difficult as the honey was hard to extract without destroying the hive and the colony. However, a breakthrough in beekeeping was made by Lorenzo Langstroth. His discovery was important because it resulted in hives with moveable frames of comb. As a result, beekeepers were able to remove comb and honey without disrupting the hive and the colony.
Significance of Honey from Bees
Significance of Honey from Bees
Honey is the oldest sweetener in existence and the most important sweetener for food and alcoholic drinks in ancient times. Honey is produced from honey bees. Present day, there are 7 established species of honey bees with 44 subspecies. The benefits of honey in medicine and nutrition have been praised highly since ancient times in many religions. In ancient times, honey was used to cope with serious illnesses like stomach pain, coughing, wounds, etc. The use of honey has been widely embraced in religions and cultures across the world. The first encounter of humans using honey was 10,000 years ago, as evident in a cave painting discovered in Valencia.
A bee colony consists of 3 types, a queen, the workers, and the drones. The queen is responsible for reproduction only. There are roughly, 10,000 to 50,000 workers who clean, defend, and take care of the hive. Another 1,000 drones, which are male bees. They only mate with the queen and die after.
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