Bee sherbert

[TimV]

Adult bees only eat honey, but honey doesn't have enough protein, fats, minerals etc.. to develop properly, so the bees gather pollen to feed their babies. Pollen not only looks different from plant to plant, but has different nutritional values.

The prettiest pollen comes from thistles with purple flowers. In this picture taken this morning, you can see that the bees are gathering pollen from several kinds of flowers and packing the harvest into cells, mixing without regard for kind. It made quite a pretty sight.

Thistle pollen tastes better than other pollen, which can have a bitter flavor. Thistle is mild and good, and I imagine has all sorts of vitamins, so I eat it occasionally. It got me thinking about the curse, where thistles are mentioned by name as being an enemy of man, and believe me they are. But it also shows that God really did make all things good, and thistle pollen is a reminder of that which was, and that which will be.

 

[Tripel]

Great photo! Though I have to admit disappointment--I came to this thread thinking you had made a successful batch of homemade bee-flavored sherbet.

 

[Berean]

Neat to see and know. Thanks!

 

[LawrenceU]

Tim, you must have changed photo hosting sites. For some reason I can't see your photographs any longer; but, I can imagine that your photo must be a nicely formed frame of comb, covered with agile workers with the occasional drone lolling around, cells of multicoloured pollen (firmly packed), and the like. I love the quilt that pollen cells make on the face of the comb. When we have an excessive pollen year I often cut some of the pollen laden comb from the corners and freeze it for future use in the kitchen, and for my wife in allergy season.

Wonderful things, those bees. Marvels of creation.

 

[MLCOPE2]

Very insightful! Thank you.

 

[TimV]

Same one, Lawrence, and it's too bad, as you'd like the color of the thistle pollen as a fellow beekeeper.