Why honeycombs are dark: reasons and is it possible to use a black bee product

Bee products are in great demand among people. Honey in combs is a he althy and tasty delicacy, which is offered to the buyer in the form of small pieces wrapped in polyethylene. When choosing it, you should focus on the shade of the product. To do this, you need to know why honeycombs are dark in color, whether it is worth buying such honey and whether it will harm when consumed.

Why honeycombs are black

New honeycombs are light, with thin translucent walls. They are used by insects to store sweets and hatch insects.Over time, shells accumulate in the comb, which the pupa loses, turning into an adult, the remains of feces. They dye the shells of the hexagonal bee cells dark.

Over time, the walls of the combs become thicker, they already contain little honey, and the insects appear small. Such honey vaults should be replaced with new ones. Remains of medicines accumulate in old combs with honey, with which the beekeeper treats insects for diseases, this also changes the shade of bee hexagons, working individuals spend a lot of time cleaning them.

Queen bees prefer dark-colored honeycombs because they retain heat better, but they lay eggs less well in dark brown and black cells. Experienced beekeepers note that if you replace 30% annually, then the problem with old honey stores will disappear.

Can I eat them

Comb honey is used as a delicacy and used in folk medicine due to the usefulness of its properties. It affects most systems in the human body:

used for anemia;
improves the condition of mucous membranes;
used for colds and fevers;
normalizes the digestive tract;
promotes immunity.

Eat only light specimens, from yellowish (almost white) to deep yellow. The darker the shade of the hexagons and the sweetness in them, the faster it thickens and candied. Dark honeycombs can harm he alth due to accumulated toxins and will not provide any benefit. Therefore, you should refrain from buying and eating such a product.The exception is black honey, which is made from black cumin, which is commonly found in Egypt.

It must be remembered that the product can cause an allergic reaction in a person, it is contraindicated in people who are overweight and have diabetes. It is not given to children under 3 years old, pregnant women should use it with caution.