On average, a honey bee will produce one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. But honey isn't the only thing bees make; there's organic beeswax, bee pollen, and even royal jelly. Pure royal jelly has recently been catching the eye of consumers everywhere, sometimes being sold as a supplement or "superfood." But what is pure royal jelly anyway, and why are consumers so interested in it?
What Is Royal Jelly?
Royal jelly is produced naturally by bees, similar to honey. It's a mixture of water, sugar, proteins, fats, vitamins, and amino acids and is often used as a health food item or health supplement. Royal jelly can be consumed fresh, frozen, dried, or as powder in capsules. Royal jelly is, like honey or beeswax, a natural product created by bees during their normal, healthy life cycle that humans are able to benefit from.
Where Does Royal Jelly Come From?
Royal jelly is created by nurse bees, and acts as food for queen bees throughout their life. Queen bees mostly eat royal jelly throughout their lives, giving royal jelly its name; this also allows them to grow up to fifty times the size of other members of the hive. Royal jelly is collected from hives after nurse bees deposit it into special areas of the hive created to nurse growing larvae. The process can be delicate, so it's important to harvest the royal jelly at exactly the right time.
Why Use Royal Jelly?
What about royal jelly has it flying off the shelves? Royal jelly is used in a variety of supplements, and is also sometimes consumed on its own. Because of the difficult process involved in producing and harvesting royal jelly, it is also often processed in a few different ways so it can be saved for longer. Organic royal jelly capsules are often found on supplement shelves, but if you're able to, purchasing it raw can be great for using it in a variety of recipes.
Royal jelly is just one additional incredible product that bees produce naturally on a regular basis. For more information on royal jelly and its uses, contact GloryBee today.