Curious About Honey

PODCAST 236: CURIOUS ABOUT HONEY

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, APRIL 9TH, 2023

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  OVER THE YEARS, WE’VE LEARNED ABOUT A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT FOODS ON THE PODCAST.  WE LEARNED ABOUT PIZZA, CHOCOLATE, BREAD, CHEESE, MUSHROOMS, AND A WHOLE LOT MORE.  WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT A FOOD THIS WEEK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2023, AND IT’S VERY DIFFERENT THAN ANY FOOD WE’VE EVER COVERED.  THAT’S BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY FOOD IN EXISTENCE THAT IS KNOWN TO HAVE EVERYTHING A HUMAN WOULD NEED TO LIVE.  ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT FOOD IT IS?  WELL, YOU’RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT.    

O:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA, OUR NAMES ARE SEB, THEIA, AND HARRY AND WE ARE 5, 3, AND 1.  WE ARE FROM EXETER IN ENGLAND.  WE LOVE LISTENING TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST AND HAVE DONE SO FOR AT LEAST THE LAST YEAR.  WE HAVE LEARNT SO MUCH FROM YOU GUYS SO THANK YOU.  WE WOULD LOVE TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT HONEY AND HONEYCOMB BECAUSE WE LOVE HONEY AND WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT SLEEP AND BODYGUARDS.  WE HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEK.

SEB, THEIA, AND HARRY”

“HI!  MY NAME IS ALLISON FROM SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT NIAGARA FALLS AND HONEY.  I WOULD LOVE TO LEARN ABOUT THESE ON YOUR PODCAST!”

***FB AUDIO FROM RYDER OF WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND***

O:  WOWSERS!  I CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN ALL ABOUT HONEY FOR SEB, THEIA, HARRY, ALLISON, AND RYDER, WHO SENT US AN AWESOME FACEBOOK VIDEO FROM BEAUTIFUL NEW ZEALAND.  BY THE WAY, OUR LISTENERS FROM ENGLAND WANTED TO LEARN ABOUT SLEEP, AND CURIOUS ABOUT SLEEP IS THE VERY FIRST EPISODE OF THIS PODCAST.  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK THAT WEEK WAS “DO FISH SLEEP”?  TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SLEEP, AND HOW THIS PODCAST HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS, CHECK OUT EPISODE ONE ON SLEEP.

D:  ALSO, ALLISON FROM VIRGINIA WANTED TO LEARN ABOUT NIAGARA FALLS.  ALTHOUGH WE HAVEN’T DONE A FULL EPISODE ON NIAGARA FALLS, WE DID DISCUSS NIAGARA FALLS FOR A FEW MINUTES IN OUR EPISODE CURIOUS ABOUT WATERFALLS, SO GIVE IT A LISTEN.  ALRIGHT OLIVIA, WHY DON’T YOU TELL US THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, ARE HONEY BEES THE ONLY INSECTS THAT MAKE HONEY?  

D:  HONEY BEES WORK SUPER HARD TO MAKE YUMMY HONEY.  THEY WORK IN TANDEM WITH LOTS OF OTHER HONEY BEES IN A COLONY TO MAKE HONEY.  DIFFERENT BEES IN THE COLONY PLAY DIFFERENT ROLES IN THE PROCESS.

O:  WORKER BEES FLY ALL AROUND LOOKING FOR FLOWERS.  THEY CAN FLY UP TO ABOUT 3 MILES, OR 5 KILOMETERS, PER DAY FROM THEIR COLONY, VISITING UP TO 100 FLOWERS ON EACH TRIP.  

D:  A FULL COLONY OF BEES CAN WORK TOGETHER TO VISIT AS MANY AS 50 MILLION FLOWERS EACH DAY.  

O:  THEY ARE ALSO ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER AS THEY COME UP WITH THE BEST STRATEGY FOR HOW TO DIVIDE THE WORK.  WHAT WE MIGHT SEE AS A BUNCH OF BEES MAKING A LOT OF NOISE AND BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER ACTUALLY TURNS OUT TO BE THE BEES COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER BEES IN THE COLONY.  

D:  WHEN BEES VISIT FLOWERS, THEY ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING CALLED NECTAR, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR MAKING HONEY.  THEY USE THEIR MOUTHPARTS, ALSO CALLED A PROBOSCIS, TO SUCK THE NECTAR FROM THE FLOWER.  A PROBOSCIS LOOKS NOTHING LIKE A HUMAN MOUTH.  IT REALLY ACTS MORE LIKE A STRAW THAN A MOUTH.  

O:  AFTER GETTING SUCKED THROUGH THE PROBOSCIS, THE NECTAR ENDS UP IN THE BEE’S STOMACH, WHICH IS ALSO CALLED A CROP.  IN THE STOMACH, THE NECTAR IS ABLE TO STAY IN IT’S LIQUID FORM.  THE CROP IS SEPARATE FROM A BEE’S REGULAR STOMACH, THAT IS USED TO DIGEST THE FOOD A BEE EATS.  

D:  THE WORKER BEES THEN RETURN TO THE COLONY WITH FRESH NECTAR.  ONCE THEY ARE BACK IN THE COLONY, THEY REGURGITATE, OR SPIT OUT, THE NECTAR FROM THEIR CROP STOMACH.  FROM THAT POINT, THE HOUSE BEES TAKE OVER.

O:  THE HOUSE BEES STAY IN THE COLONY, PACKING THE NECTAR INTO BEESWAX HONEY CELLS THAT ARE SHAPED IN A SIX-SIDED HEXAGON.  THEY ARE ABLE TO TURN THE NECTAR INTO HONEY BY DRYING IT OUT.  THE NECTAR COMES IN TO THE COLONY AT ABOUT 70% WATER, WHICH IS WAY TOO MUCH FOR HONEY.  THEY DRY THE NECTAR OUT BY CREATING A WARM WIND BY FLAPPING THEIR WINGS.  AFTER THEY HAVE DRIED HONEY, WHICH IS ABOUT 20% WATER, THE HOUSE BEES MAKE FRESH BEESWAX AND USE THE WAX TO PUT A LID OVER THE HONEY, KEEPING THE HONEY NICE AND FRESH.  

D:  THEN, DURING THE HARSH WINTERS, WHEN THEY NEED FOOD, THEY ARE ABLE TO OPEN THE WAX LIDS AND ENJOY THE HONEY INSIDE THE CELLS.  

O:  IN ADDITION TO COLLECTING NECTAR FROM FLOWERS, BEES ALSO COLLECT POLLEN.  WE DISCUSSED POLLINATION IN LOTS OF DETAIL IN THE EPISODE CURIOUS ABOUT BEES.

D:  IN THAT EPISODE, WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT OTHER TYPES OF BEES, LIKE THE QUEEN BEE AND DRONE BEES.  

O:  A COLONY OF BEES IS ABLE TO MAKE A WHOLE LOT OF HONEY.  A TYPICAL COLONY CAN MAKE BETWEEN 30 AND 100 POUNDS OF HONEY PER YEAR.

D:  THAT’S A LOT OF HONEY, WHICH MEANS THAT THE BEES WORK SUPER HARD TO MAKE THAT MUCH.  THEY NEED TO COLLECT NECTAR FROM ABOUT 2 MILLION FLOWERS AND TRAVEL UP TO 55,000 MILES, OR 88,000 KILOMETERS TO MAKE SO MUCH HONEY.  THAT MUST REQUIRE A LOT OF TEAMWORK, BECAUSE EACH INDIVIDUAL HONEY BEE IS ONLY CAPABLE OF MAKING ABOUT 1/12 OF A SINGLE TEASPOON OF HONEY IN IT’S LIFETIME.  BUT IT’S ALL WORTH IT IN THE END, BECAUSE HONEY IS SO AMAZING.

O:  BECAUSE IT IS PACKED WITH VITAMINS, MINERALS, ENZYMES, AND WATER, HONEY IS THE ONLY FOOD ITEM THAT WE KNOW HAS EVERYTHING NEEDED FOR HUMANS TO LIVE.  

D:  IT’S ALSO THE ONLY FOOD MADE BY INSECTS, THAT IS EATEN BY THE INSECT AS WELL AS BY HUMANS.  

O:  PLEASE REMEMBER, AS AMAZING AS HONEY IS, IT IS NOT SAFE FOR BABIES.  HONEY SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN TO A BABY YOUNGER THAN ONE YEAR OLD.  AFTER THAT, IT IS PROBABLY SAFE TO INCORPORATE HONEY INTO THE DIET, ALTHOUGH WE RECOMMEND DISCUSSING IT WITH A PEDIATRICIAN FIRST.  

D:  THERE IS SO MUCH ABOUT HONEY THAT MAKES IT UNIQUE COMPARED TO OTHER FOODS.  THE MOST REMARKABLE THING ABOUT HONEY MIGHT BE THAT IT NEVER SPOILS.  

O:  IF HONEY IS SEALED PROPERLY, IN AN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER, IT CAN STAY GOOD FOREVER.  HONEY HAS BEEN FOUND IN EGYPTIAN TOMBS AS OLD AS 5,500 YEARS OLD, AND THAT HONEY WAS PERFECTLY EDIBLE.

D:  THERE ARE TWO THINGS ABOUT HONEY THAT MAKE IT LAST AS LONG AS IT DOES.  FIRST, IT IS ACIDIC.  ALSO, IT HAS VERY LITTLE MOISTURE.  FOODS THAT ARE ACIDIC AND LOW IN MOISTURE ARE FOODS THAT TEND TO LAST LONGER, BECAUSE THEY TEND TO BE BAD PLACES FOR BACTERIA TO THRIVE.  

O:  HONEY IS SO AMAZING THAT IT IS EVEN MEDICINAL.  SINCE THE TIME OF ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA, HONEY HAS BEEN USED TO HEAL.  EVEN TODAY, IT’S STILL USED FOR IT’S MEDICINAL PROPERTIES.  BECAUSE IT IS SO GOOD AT AVOIDING BACTERIAL GROWTH, HONEY IS USED AS A NATURAL BANDAGE, TO HELP PROTECT BURNS AND CUTS FROM GETTING INFECTED.

D:  IT’S ALSO USED AS A TREATMENT FOR DANDRUFF, SEASONAL ALLERGIES, AND STOMACH ULCERS.  

O:  EVEN THOUGH HONEY IS SO AMAZING, AND IT MAKES A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT FOODS WE EAT YUMMIER AND SWEETER, PEOPLE DID NOT ALWAYS APPRECIATE HONEY AS MUCH AS THEY DO TODAY.

D:  AS A RESULT, PEOPLE THAT SOLD HONEY MANY YEARS AGO DID CRAZY THINGS TO GET PEOPLE TO START BUYING MORE HONEY.  THEY ACTUALLY WORE BEE BEARDS TO ATTRACT MORE CUSTOMERS.

O:  ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT A BEE BEARD IS?  WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE.  IT’S A BEARD MADE OF BEES.

D:  AND, HOW DID THE HONEY VENDORS MAKE A BEE BEARD?  IT’S ACTUALLY QUITE SIMPLE.  THE MOST IMPORTANT BEE IN EVERY COLONY IS THE QUEEN BEE.  THERE IS ONLY ONE, AND ALL OF THE OTHER BEES FOLLOW HER LEAD.  THE HONEY VENDOR WOULD ACTUALLY HOLD THE QUEEN BEE UNDER HIS OR HER CHIN, AND BEFORE LONG, THOUSANDS OF BEES WOULD FOLLOW, FORMING A BEE BEARD.  

O:  BEE BEARDS DIDN’T TOTALLY GO AWAY.  THERE IS STILL A COMPETITION HELD EVERY YEAR IN ONTARIO, CANADA TO DETERMINE WHO COULD MAKE THE BEST BEE BEARD.  

D:  ALRIGHT OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  WE KNOW THAT HONEY BEES MAKE HONEY BECAUSE, WELL, THEY ARE CALLED HONEY BEES.  ARE THERE ANY OTHER INSECTS OUT THERE THAT MAKE HONEY?

O:  THERE ARE A FEW OTHER INSECTS, INCLUDING MEXICAN HONEY WASPS AND HONEYPOT ANTS, THAT MAKE HONEY.  LIKE HONEY BEES, MEXICAN HONEY WASPS COLLECT HONEY IN A HIVE.  EVEN THOUGH SOME COMMUNITIES CONSIDER THE HONEY OF THE MEXICAN HONEY WASP TO BE A DELICACY, THIS HONEY COULD BE POISONOUS.  

THE SITUATION WITH HONEYPOT ANTS IS VERY DIFFERENT.  THEY DON’T COLLECT THEIR HONEY IN HIVES.  INSTEAD, HONEYPOT ANTS WILL EAT AND EAT AND EAT NECTAR UNTIL THEIR BELLIES ARE SWOLLEN TO THE SIZE OF A GRAPE.  THEN, THEY GO TO THEIR NESTS AND SPIT THAT HONEY UP TO FEED THE REST OF THE COLONY.  HOW DELIGHTFUL.

D:  HONEYPOT ANTS DO THIS BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN VERY DRY AREAS THAT GET ALMOST NO RAIN AT ALL.  WHEN FOOD IS AVAILABLE, THERE ARE HONEYPOT ANTS CALLED REPLETES THAT GO OUT AND SUCK UP A TON OF NECTAR UNTIL THEIR BELLIES ARE HUGE, LIKE MY BELLY ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.  THEN, THEY SPIT THE NECTAR OUT TO FEED THEIR PALS.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  236 - HONEY

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB SEB, THEIA, HARRY, ALLISON, AND RYDER FOR AN EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION THAT WAS DEFINITELY WORTH BUZZING ABOUT.   BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE, WE HAVE AN AWESOME LISTENER TO THANK.

O:  WE WANT TO THANK USERNAME X-EMOJI-X FOR THE 5 STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “EPIC.  SUCH A GOOOOOOOOD (WITH 8 “O”S) PODCAST.  I LOVE IT SO MUCH.  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.”

O:  THANK YOOOOOOOOU (WITH 8 “O”S) FOR LISTENING AND FOR LEAVING US A REVIEW.

D:  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT PROSTHETICS FOR LISTENERS IN WASHINGTON AND TEXAS.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.