Beekeeping For Dummies
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Here are some tidbits of “betcha-didn’t-know” information about honey that will make for some good banter at the dinner table and take the sting out of those awkward cocktail parties:

  • How many flowers must honey bees tap to make one pound of honey? Two million.

  • How far does a hive of foraging bees fly to bring you one pound of honey? Over 55,000 miles.

  • How many flowers does a honey bee visit during one nectar collection trip? 50 to 100.

  • How much honey would it take to fuel a bee’s flight around the world? About one ounce.

  • How long have bees been producing honey from flowering plants? 10 to 20 million years.

  • What Scottish liqueur is made with honey? Drambuie.

  • What is the U.S. per capita consumption of honey? On average, each person consumes about 1.3 pounds per year.

Interesting, huh? How about three more little-known honey facts:

  • In olden days, a common practice was for newlyweds to drink mead (honey wine) for one month (one phase of the moon) to ensure the birth of a child. Thus, the term honeymoon.

  • One gallon of honey (3.79 liters) typically weighs 11 pounds, 13.2 ounces (5.36 kilograms.).

  • Honey found in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs was still edible when discovered centuries later. That’s an impressive shelf life!

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