The word "side" is translated as "hollow." From it comes the name "on-board honey", or "honey from the hollow." Wild bees produce this sweet delicacy, and then lay it in honeycombs located in hollows of trees at a height of 4 to 15 meters. Here it is collected by people called stewards.
History of Beekeeping
Bortnichestvo in Russia was widely developed until the middle of the XVII century. Bortovaya honey along with fur was considered the main product for export. Gradually, with the development of agriculture, the liberation of land from the forest began. Trees were massively cut down, resulting in sharply reduced production of bead honey.
In parallel with this, the development of apiary beekeeping began, which eventually almost completely replaced the beekeeping. The extraction of honey from frame hives located on the ground was much faster and could not be compared with the collection of a sweet product from a hollow tree.
To date, beekeeping in its original form has been preserved only in the Shulgan-Tash nature reserve, located in the Republic of Bashkiria.
The characteristic features of bead honey
Borteva is environmentally friendly honey, which is collected only in protected areas. By the number of vitamins and minerals important for health, such as folic acid and iodine, it is several times superior to other types. Almost 90% of it consists of fructose, and glucose contains only 1%. Wild bee honey (bortovaya) does not contain antibiotics, which caring beekeepers feed the inhabitants of domestic hives.
Honey Features:
- The product has a dark amber hue; its smell is distinguished by light and pleasant wax notes.
- It crystallizes at different times, depending on which plant the nectar was collected from. During sugaring it becomes lighter and drier.
- Borteva honey has a thick, viscous consistency, which is explained by its full maturation.
- Its taste is sweet, pleasant, with spicy notes of pollen admixture.
Bortevaya honey: beneficial properties for the body
The unique benefits of bead honey for the body are explained by the environmental friendliness of its production region and the complete maturation of the product, without any human involvement. Due to this, the accumulation or concentration of essential nutrients occurs.
Bortevaya honey, whose properties bring invaluable benefits to the body, helps to cope with the following ailments:
- improves the digestive system;
- It is a strong antioxidant and is active in the fight against cancer cells;
- antiviral and bactericidal properties of this product help the body cope with ARVI and influenza faster;
- improves blood composition;
- increases efficiency;
- improves memory;
- accelerates metabolic processes in the body;
- increases the elasticity of blood vessels;
- It has calming properties and positively affects the functioning of the nervous system, helping to cope with stress and insomnia.
Bead honey is widely used in traditional medicine. It is part of each prescription and qualitatively affects the result of home treatment.
Components of bead honey
Each component of honey - whether it is wax, brood or bee bread - has no less unique beneficial properties than a directly refined product.
- Perga (popularly called "bee bread)" is pollen from plants, rammed into honeycombs and coated with honey on top. It has tonic properties, positively affects the work of the heart, helps with anemia, diseases of the stomach and intestines.
- Royal jelly is produced by nurse bees. It has unique properties that are widely used in medicine. It is proved that royal jelly increases potency, relieves fatigue and improves performance.
- Brood is valued in medicine (especially in endocrinology) for its high content of important hormones (estrogen, testosterone).
- Bee venom is effective in treating osteochondrosis, back pain and joint pain. Based on it, ointments and creams are prepared in cosmetology.
- Wax is widely used in the treatment of diseases of the oral cavity: inflamed gums, open sores and tonsillitis.
- Bee stalks are small granules of flower pollen collected by the named insect and glued by it to a certain size of 1-3 mm. This is the first significant product of the bee family. It has an anti-cancer effect, strengthens blood vessels and stops inflammatory processes in cells, is a powerful antioxidant and immunomodulating agent.
How to collect on-board honey
Organic honey is harvested directly from the hollow. But this is not always a natural "house" for bees, made by woodpeckers. With the development of beekeeping, a whole technology was developed to hollow out a home-made hollow in the tree and to plant wild bees in it. In such a "house", a reinforcement of honeycombs is created, and the sides themselves (hollows) are updated annually.
In general, honey is harvested in the same way as three hundred years ago. With the help of special devices, the steward, dressed in tight clothes and a hat with a net, climbs a tree. Using wooden shovels, he removes the honeycombs from the hollow and puts them in a wooden dish. You can not use metal spoons and other containers, otherwise honey will lose its useful properties.
Wild Honey Recommendations
Wild bees honey is recommended to be included in the diet for cough, bronchitis, gastritis and digestive tract diseases. It is recommended to use honey daily, one teaspoon before a meal. No need to drink water. It is enough to put a spoonful of honey in your mouth and dissolve the product. Perga is consumed 15-20 minutes before meals, on an empty stomach, and is not washed down with water.
Wild bead honey should not be consumed by people allergic to this product and children under two years of age.
How to store honey
Wild bees honey is recommended to be stored at room temperature, preferably not higher than 20 degrees above zero. As containers for storage, only containers made of natural materials and glass are suitable. The best option is wooden barrels and clay pots.
Bead honey has an unlimited shelf life. Over time, it crystallizes, becomes drier and brighter, but from this its beneficial properties do not decrease.
The container for storing honey should be tightly closed. To get the product out of the container, as already mentioned, you can only use a wooden spoon or spatula. In contact with metal objects, part of the beneficial properties of honey is lost, and sugar, which is present in its composition, when in contact with metal releases toxins that have a negative effect on the body.
Bortevaya honey is a rare delicacy with unique properties. Such a beekeeping product goes on sale in limited quantities, but everyone should try it at least once in a lifetime.