Honey and Hay-fever

The honey that we produce in our apiaries is from the colonies that we use to teach beekeeping. You should try to buy honey from beekeepers in the area that you live. This  ‘local’ honey is often used as a hay fever aid. Bees forage for nectar & pollen for up to 5km from their hive so their honey will have the pollen from the flowers that are local to you. The honey complies with all food standards requirements and tastes quite different to supermarket honey because it has not been mistreated to give it a long shelf life.

Pollen grains from plants that produce flowers to attract bees or other insects for pollination are always present in honey. Grasses, cereals and some trees are not always pollinated by bees: masses of pollen are blown from plant to plant by the wind and accidentally may get into the honey.

By taking maybe a teaspoon of honey each day, you expose yourself to small dosages of pollen. The idea is that this will gradually de-sensitise you to pollen allergy responses.

Pollen, you can expose yourself to larger doses by taking pollen that the bees bring in straight from the flowers. This could de-sensitise you quicker than taking it in honey.  See link below.

It takes time to build up resistance to allergies so you should start at least six months before the start of the hay fever season possibly about October in the UK. You will not gain any benefit if you wait until symptoms start appearing.

Consult your GP if you have any concerns. You may be able to arrange allergy tests to see if you are sensitive to flower or grass pollens. If you are sensitive to the latter, then honey therapy may not have much effect. Also check with your GP if you have symptoms of strong histamine reactions (e.g. skin conditions or asthma), a history of problems with your immune system or you are taking medication that may have compromised your immune system. If you are diabetic, you will have to allow for the sugar content of honey but the amount of honey ingested per day is small.

Warning: Honey should not be given to children under 18 months old. Endospores in it can transform into toxin-producing bacteria in the infant’s immature intestinal tract, leading to illness or even death. But this is very rare.

We sell local honey at our apiary in Glovers Grove, Ruislip.

We are open every Sunday morning 11am – 1pm (summer) 11.30am – 1pm (winter).

Pollen and other products can be obtained from Peter Cannon at: http://www.facebook.com/people/Honeypot-Apiary/1365124284