If you're interested in producing your own honey, pollen, and royal jelly, the beekeeping experiences compiled below from Taiwanese beekeepers may be helpful for you and your family and friends.

The discrepancies in pricing between honey labeled as "100% pure" and sold in supermarkets compared to what's available at farmers' markets may leave you questioning their authenticity. As profit margins increasingly dictate our food sources, local farming traditions are fading, and the consequences of today's global food industry are exposed in the new Netflix documentary series, "Rotten." Revealed within the series is the startling fact that while American beehives produce around 160 million pounds of honey annually, consumption exceeds 450 million pounds, necessitating the importation of twice the amount produced domestically. Adulteration of honey is a widespread issue, with syrups derived from corn or sugarcane commonly used to dilute the product. Some foreign producers have even developed rice-based syrups, which are sold at half the price. To circumvent anti-dumping regulations, certain honey undergoes transshipment via third countries. Despite efforts by importers and packers to conduct lab tests to maintain product integrity, the prevalence of adulterated honey continues to impact beekeepers and retailers alike, eroding consumer trust in the marketplace. As noted by experts, combating such crimes demands ongoing vigilance, as criminal tactics evolve over time. Discover the truth about honey by watching the documentary on Netflix.

Rotten | Official Trailer | Netflix


If eliminating the exploitation and unfairness of third-world labor means you have to dig deeper into your pockets every day to pay for everything you need, would you still uphold your beliefs, encourage others, and take action? Discover more truths from the video below!

Rotten Season 2 | Official Trailer | Netflix



Embark on your beekeeping journey!

Einstein once said, "If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live." This statement underscores the importance of bees to human survival. In fact, 71% of crops rely on bee pollination, including watermelons, strawberries, and cantaloupes. However, bees, despite their cleanliness, have their vulnerabilities, such as their extreme sensitivity to pesticides; they are highly averse to them. Therefore, it is essential to maintain cleanliness around bee farms and avoid using toxic pesticides, especially the most toxic ones like those derived from the neem tree, which could lead to the death of bees for up to 20 consecutive days.

Understanding the lifecycle of bees and their roles within the hive is crucial. A beehive is primarily composed of three types of bees: the queen, drones, and worker bees. Drones hatch from unfertilized eggs, so their genetic material comes only from the mother, lacking genetic information from a father; their nests are relatively large and lack stingers. When the queen lays eggs, she places them in the larger drone cells, where they hatch into drones. Since drone cells are larger, the queen's abdomen experiences greater pressure when laying eggs. Worker bee cells are typically smaller and denser. The queen can more easily lay eggs in worker bee cells without applying additional pressure.

Spring is the mating season. The primary function of drones is to mate with the queen and transmit genetic information. As the sole reproducer, the queen mates with approximately ten drones during her maiden flight. Once their mating mission is complete, drones either die immediately or are cleared out by worker bees at the end of the next nectar flow. Drones generally do not engage in honey collection, feeding larvae, etc., their existence primarily serves for reproductive purposes. Worker bees are responsible for tasks such as collecting nectar, secreting royal jelly, feeding larvae, and guarding the hive. Regular hive inspections are crucial for monitoring the health of the colony, with particular attention to the queen's condition, the presence of eggs, larvae, and capped brood. Typically, bees are fed royal jelly for 3-6 days, after which they can live for 20 to 150 days, whereas queens can live for 5 to 8 years.

Queens, measuring approximately 2 to 2.5 centimeters, are the core of the colony, with queen cells relatively large, reaching lengths of 2 to 3 centimeters. The number of queen cells reflects the strength of the colony. If the queen is old or the population is too large, she will lay eggs in queen cells, or worker bees will move other larvae into queen cells to be fed 20-30 times more royal jelly before becoming queens. In beekeeping, it's essential to replace the queen annually to ensure the colony's health. When checking the queen bee box, it's recommended to have 2-3 worker bees accompany the queen and feed them with the royal jelly they secrete. Keeping two queen bees can increase reproduction and yield by half, separated by a board, so they cannot see each other but worker bees can move between them. However, managing this can be troublesome as the queen's condition must be checked daily.

Choosing the ideal beekeeping location is crucial, ensuring abundant nectar sources within a 2-3 km radius and placing hives properly to maximize bee efficiency. It's also advisable to avoid having other apiaries nearby. If robbing bees are detected, the apiary should be moved to a new location at least 2 km away for the colony to reorient itself. Moving the apiary is best done in the early morning or evening to minimize losses when worker bees are out foraging. Additionally, beekeeping requires certain techniques. For example, using charcoal smoke can stabilize bee emotions. In fact, bees dislike the smell of charcoal, so it can be used to drive bees away when taking out frames and lightly brushing away bees with a brush. Worker bees use natural beeswax secreted from wax glands on their abdomen to build the hive. This beeswax is used to construct frames and cells (brood, pollen, honey cells), providing enough space to store nectar, hatch larvae, and develop into bees. If beekeepers place hexagonal artificial beeswax screens, bees will build on them.

The honey production season usually begins in spring. In Taiwan, the most abundant nectar flow occurs from February to May, with citrus in February, lychee flowers in March, and longan in April to May. If there is no rain in the first half of the year, it may affect the flowering season. Although honey can be harvested during the non-production season, the quality may be slightly acidic, with a lighter taste. The main nectar plants collected by bees include longan, lychee, citrus, salt-loving grass, rapeseed flowers, etc. Honey from a single flower species and mixed-flower honey have different characteristics.

Honey flavors vary:
- Longan: The most fragrant and delicious, with a rich aroma; the entire tree is in bloom, continuously producing honey throughout the day, with minimal crystallization.
- Lychee: Fragrant, with a higher glucose content and lower moisture, prone to crystallization, but it doesn't mean it's sugary water; crystallization can extend its shelf life without spoilage, making it easier to digest and with better taste.
- Citrus: Even without pesticide spraying, it may still crystallize, especially honey from oranges, mandarins, and grapefruits, which has a particularly pleasant aroma.
- Salt-loving grass: A bit stinky, blooms after 10 a.m.
- Rapeseed flowers: Also a bit stinky, slightly acidic.
- Wildflowers: Honey is a mix of various wild plant nectars, resulting in a combination of multiple flavors, rich and diverse.

Collecting bees collect nectar based on flower types, usually gathering the same kind of flowers. Therefore, they are excellent pollinators. During the collection process, bees self-consume nectar and regurgitate it multiple times upon returning to the hive, passing it mouth to mouth to house bees, essentially regurgitating it 6-20 times. In the humid southern regions, honey processing takes about 20 days to convert flower nectar containing disaccharides into fructose and glucose, ultimately reducing the honey's moisture content to below 20% for storage.

Sealing honey in a single queen bee hive usually takes about 25 days, while a double queen bee hive may seal it faster, typically within 10 days. The optimal time for harvesting is when the honey is about to be sealed to facilitate subsequent processing. Otherwise, extra wax may need to be removed. During the flowering season, beekeepers usually harvest honey every 3-4 days. However, extending to 5-6 days can result in richer honey concentration and aroma. As honey becomes thicker, it becomes more viscous, capable of forming long threads when pulled, displaying more obvious stickiness and viscosity when flowing. Commercially available honey is typically purified to a moisture content of 18-19% and can be stored for 1-2 years. However, honey with higher moisture content, around 23-26%, such as freshly harvested honey, may begin to ferment and turn sour after 3 months at room temperature, exhibiting a vinegar-like taste. While it may cause gastrointestinal discomfort when consumed, it can aid in bowel movements. Honey with amoisture content of 25% can only be stored for one year. Honey is rich in active enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. Some beekeepers feed sugar water to bee colonies during winter, with white sugar as the main food source, but it's best to leave half of the food for the colony to survive the winter and maintain its strength.

A beeswax frame in a hive, if full, contains approximately 2,000 bees and can produce about 3-4 pounds of honey. If the honey is full, the bees may become idle and stop working. If a beekeeper has 110 hives, during the peak season, they can harvest 70-80 barrels of honey, each barrel weighing approximately 280 kilograms. If nectar supply is insufficient, beekeepers may only harvest royal jelly and pollen.

Furthermore, bees also collect pollen as food, especially during the flowering season. Typically, beekeepers collect pollen every 5 to 7 days. The pollen pellets on a worker bee's legs usually represent the yield of about 100 to 200 flowers. The design of the pollen collector mesh allows the worker bees to deposit the pollen directly into the pollen collector at the hive entrance. Bee food mainly consists of honey and pollen, with pollen being highly nutritious, containing rich vitamins, minerals, and proteins that provide various nutrients needed by bees, keeping them strong, increasing flying distances, and aiding worker bees in secreting royal jelly. Some of the collected pollen should be left for the colony as their source of energy. Pollen is suitable for freezing or drying (moisture below 8%) and can be consumed directly. Generally, pollen from mountain areas is of higher quality than that from flatlands, especially pollen from oolong tea, which has higher nutritional value.

To collect royal jelly, 2 to 5 queen cells can be placed in the hive, depending on the strength of the colony. Newly laid eggs in the honeycomb cells are clearly visible, and on the 3rd to 4th day, beekeepers use a goose feather tube to move the larvae to the small cells of the queen cell, where bees will further expand the queen cell to increase its height by 1 to 1.5 centimeters. Approximately 65 to 70 hours later, the small cells of the queen cell will be filled with royal jelly and sealed with wax. Then, on the 3rd day, beekeepers collect the royal jelly and filter it through three layers of fine gauze to remove the larvae. In fact, the larvae can be moved to regular honeycomb cells, where they will develop into ordinary bees. Royal jelly contains royalactin, with a spicy taste. Studies in Canada have confirmed its efficacy in inhibiting cancer cells. Therefore, royal jelly can be used not only as food but also for promoting digestion, bowel movements, and beauty. However, royal jelly contains hormones and is not suitable for consumption by teenagers.

Additionally, beeswax can be found in the hive, and honey from composite beeswax honeycombs has a richer taste. Beeswax tastes similar to chewing gum and poses no problem when consumed as it is natural. Natural beeswax is an important raw material for producing cosmetics and ointments.

In conclusion, beekeeping is a task that requires careful attention. Hive conditions should be checked at least twice every 10 days, and beekeepers should be diligent. Only by maintaining the health of the colony can bees continue to provide humans with sustainable honey and other products while maintaining ecological balance.

愛因斯坦曾說過：「如果蜜蜂消失，人類將只能存活四年。」這句話道出了蜜蜂對人類生存的重要性。事實上，有71%的農作物靠蜜蜂授粉，其中包括西瓜、草莓和甜瓜等。然而，十分愛乾淨的蜜蜂，也有它們的弱點，例如對農藥極為敏感，它們非常害怕農藥。因此，在蜂場周圍應盡量保持環境的清潔，並避免使用有毒的農藥，特別是最具毒性的檳榔樹農藥，可能導致它們連續死亡20天。

了解蜜蜂的生命週期和在蜂箱中的角色是至關重要的。蜂箱主要由蜂王、雄蜂和工蜂三種蜜蜂組成。雄蜂是由未受精的卵孵化而來，因此它們的遺傳物質只來自母親，不具有父親的遺傳信息，它們的巢相對較大，而且沒有螫針。蜂王產卵時，將卵放在較大的巢蜂巢中，這些卵孵化成雄蜂。由於雄蜂的巢較大，蜂王腹部在產卵時會受到較大的擠壓。而工蜂的巢通常相對較小且更密集。蜂王會更容易地將卵放入工蜂巢中，而無需施加額外的壓力。

春天是繁殖期。雄蜂的主要功能是與蜂王交配，並傳遞遺傳信息。蜂王作為唯一的繁殖者，會在初次飛行時與約十隻的雄蜂進行交配。一旦完成交配任務，雄蜂將立即死亡，或在下一次蜜源期結束時被工蜂清理掉。雄蜂通常不參與採蜜、餵養幼蟲等，它們的存在主要是為了繁殖目的。而工蜂則負責採集花蜜、分泌蜂王乳、餵養幼蟲、和守衛蜂巢等任務。定期檢查蜂箱對於監測蜂群健康狀況至關重要，特別關注蜂王的狀況以及蜂蛋、幼蟲和蜂蓋的存在情況。一般蜜蜂會被餵食蜂王漿3-6天，之後可存活20至150天，而蜂王則能生存5至8年。

身形約為2至2.5厘米的蜂王為蜂群的核心，蜂王巢相對較大，長度可達2至3厘米。蜂王台的數量可反映蜂群的強壯程度。如果蜂王年紀大了或族群太大要分家，就會在蜂王巢裡產卵，或蜜蜂搬其他幼蜂進蜂王巢餵食20-30倍蜂王乳，之後成為蜂王。在養蜂過程中，每年都需要更換蜂王，以確保蜂群的健康。我們需要在關蜂王盒時讓2至3隻工蜂陪伴蜂王並餵食工蜂分泌的蜂王乳。養雙蜂王可以提高一半繁殖力與產量，中間用板子隔開，王不見王，但蜜蜂互通，但管理麻煩，每天都要檢查蜂王狀態。

選擇理想的養蜂地點至關重要，確保在2-3公里範圍內有豐富的花蜜來源，並適當放置蜂箱以最大程度地提高蜜蜂的採蜜效率，蜂場周圍也應盡量避免有其他蜂場。如果發現有盜蜂入侵，應該將蜂場搬遷至2公里外的新地方，讓蜂群重新梳理。搬遷蜂場時，最好選擇在早上或晚上進行，以減少工蜂外出時的損失。此外，蜜蜂的飼養與管理也需要一定的技巧。例如，使用木炭原子炭煙可以穩定蜜蜂的情緒，實際上蜜蜂並不喜歡這種味道，因此在取網板時可以用木炭原子炭煙來驅趕蜜蜂，同時抖動網片，用刷子輕輕掃開蜜蜂。工蜂會利用從腹部蠟腺分泌出來的天然蜂蠟來建造蜂巢。 這些蜂蠟會被用來建造蜂巢的蜂框和巢脾(粉脾 子脾 蜜脾)等部分，提供足夠的空間用於儲存花蜜、孵化幼蟲和發育成蜜蜂。 如果蜂農放置6角型人工蜂蠟網片，蜜蜂會自己由淺加高。

蜜蜂的生產季節通常在春天，在台灣，最充足的蜜源期在2至5月份，其中2月是柑橘類、3月是荔枝花、4至5月是龍眼的盛產期。如果上半年沒有下雨，可能會影響花季的開花。儘管在非生產季節也可以採收蜜，但品質可能偏酸，味道較淡。蜜蜂主要採集的蜜源植物包括龍眼、荔枝、柑橘類、咸豐草、油菜花等。單一花種的蜂蜜和多花種的蜂蜜都有不同的特點。

蜂蜜的口感有所不同：
- 龍眼：最香，口感好，香氣濃郁，整棵樹都是花，整天蜜一直冒出來，不太會結晶。
- 荔枝：清香型，葡萄糖成份較高，水分較少，會結晶，但不代表是糖水，結晶反而可以放得更久，不易壞掉，也易消化，口感好。
- 柑橘類：不撒藥，也會結晶，橘子、柳橙、柚子的蜜特別香。
- 咸豐草：有點臭臭的，10點以後湧出花蜜。
- 油菜花：有點臭臭的，偏酸。
- 蔓澤蘭：口感可能稍有特殊，會較為清淡，可能會帶有一些草本或花香的味道。
- 玉米花：口感可能稍微酸甜，帶有一些特殊草本的味道。
- 野花：蜜一般是一次性的，由各種野生植物的花蜜混合而成，因此口感可能會有多種風味的組合，更豐富而多樣。

採集蜂會根據花的種類進行採集，通常採同一類的花，因此它們是極好的授粉昆蟲。在採集花蜜的過程中，蜜蜂會自行食用，並在返回巢穴後進行多次釀造蜜液，透過嘴對嘴的方式將花蜜傳遞給內勤蜂，也就是將花蜜進食後再吐出來約6-20次。在濕度較高的南方地區，蜂蜜的加工需要約20多天的時間，以將含有雙糖的花蜜轉化為果糖和葡萄糖，最終使蜂蜜的水分含量降至20%以下，以便進行封蓋保存。

單蜂王的蜂箱封存蜜液通常需要約25天，而雙蜂王的蜂箱則可能比較快，一般在10天左右即可封存成熟蜜。最佳的採收時間是在蜜液即將封存時，以便進行後續的處理工作，否則可能需要額外割除蜂蠟。花期時，蜂農通常每次採蜜相隔3-4天，但若延長至5-6天，蜂蜜的濃度和香味將更加豐富，當蜂蜜變得越來越濃稠時，它的質地變得更加黏稠，甚至可以拉出一條條長長的絲狀物，並且在流動時表現出更明顯的黏性和黏稠度。市售的蜂蜜通常會被蜂農純化至18-19%的水分含量，可保存1-2年，而水分含量較高約23-26%的現採現賣蜂蜜可能在常溫下保存3個月後開始發酵變酸，呈現醋味。雖然飲用後可能對胃腸不適，但對排便有幫助。水分含量為25%的蜂蜜只能保存1年。蜂蜜富含活性酵素、維生素和礦物質。有些蜂農在冬季會餵食蜂群糖水，以白糖為主食，但最好留下一半的食物供蜂群過冬，以保持其強壯。蜂箱中的一個蜂蠟網片，如果滿滿的話大約有2000隻蜜蜂，大約可產生3-4斤的蜂蜜，如果蜂蜜滿了，蜜蜂可能就會就怠工而不會工作。如果蜂農擁有110個蜂箱，在豐收季節可能可採集70-80桶蜂蜜，每桶約280公斤。如果花蜜供應不足，蜂農可能只會採收蜂王乳和花粉。

此外，蜜蜂也會收集花粉作為養料，特別是在花期時。一般來說，蜜蜂養殖人員每5至7天就會採集一次花粉。工蜂腿上的花粉團通常是收集大約100至200朵花的成果，花粉收集器網格設計得能夠使工蜂回到蜂巢時，腿上的花粉直接卡在門口的花粉收集器裡。蜜蜂的食物主要包括蜂蜜和花粉，而花粉的營養價值相當高，含有豐富的維生素、礦物質和蛋白質，可以提供蜜蜂所需的各種營養素，讓蜜蜂保持強壯，增加飛行的距離，並有助於工蜂分泌蜂王乳，採集到的花粉應該留一部分給蜂群，作為它們的體力來源。花粉適合冷凍保存或者烘乾（水分低於8%），可以直接食用。一般來說，山上的花粉比平地上的質量更好，尤其是烏龍茶的花粉，其營養價值更高。

為了收集蜂王乳，可以在蜂箱中放置2至5條蜂王台，視蜂群是否強壯而定。剛產下的卵在蜂巢蜂格中清晰可見，第3至4天時，蜂農會用鵝毛管將幼蟲移至蜂王台的小格子中，蜜蜂會進一步擴展蜂王台使其增高1至1.5厘米。大約65至70小時後，蜂王台的小格子會填滿蜂王乳後封蠟，然後蜂農會在第3天收集蜂王乳，並使用三層細紗布過濾蜂王乳，濾除幼蟲，其實可以將幼蟲移至一般蜂格，之後會成為一般蜂。蜂王乳含有葵烯酸，味道辛辣。根據加拿大的研究證實，蜂王乳具有抑制癌細胞的功效。因此，蜂王乳不僅可以作為食品，還可以用於促進消化、排便，以及美容養顏。不過，蜂王乳含有荷爾蒙，不適合青少年食用。

此外，蜂巢中還可以找到蜂蠟，複合蜂蠟的蜂巢蜜的口感更加豐富。蜂蠟的口感類似口香糖，因為它是天然的，食用時不會有問題。天然蜂蠟是生產化妝品和藥膏的重要原料。

總的來說，養蜂是一項需要細心呵護的工作。至少每10天檢查蜂箱情況2次，養蜂人也應該勤快。只有保持蜂群的健康，才能確保蜜蜂為人類提供持續的蜂蜜和其他產品，同時維護生態平衡。