Allergies and Honeybees: What these two share

Most people love spring but hate what comes with it, like the sneezing and itchy eyes from pollen-related allergies.  Over-the-counter medicine is usually the default to help aid allergies but honey can oftentimes be the simple fix.   

Beekeeper and owner of Eason Farms Steven Easom said it is the pollen in the local honey that people are ingesting which helps counteract the allergies.  

Easom shares some things to know when sourcing honey as well as fun facts you might now know. 

How bad will allergies be this year? 

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) recently released its report ranking the most challenging places to live with seasonal pollen allergies and Oklahoma City took the number three spot this year due to a higher-than-average pollen count.

What should be our focus when looking for local honey 

The vegetation, trees, and flowers where the pollen is coming from should be the main focus when finding honey.

What to know about honey

Honey in itself is nectar and most of the time it has pollen and honey in it.  

It is the pollen in the honey that people are ingesting that helps counteract the allergies.  

What to know about bees

Honeybees are super pollinators and they are usually in one spot.  

Easom said typically in Oklahoma, we are going to see somewhere between 40 to 60,000 bees in a colony. 

Bees usually do not fly more than about three miles in any direction. You can see where they are going to collect that local pollen when they get that honey. 

Once we consume that honey, we actually are then getting some of that local pollen into our system.

Something rare beekeepers do for a higher dose of pollen

They have pollen traps; Easom said as the bee is coming back, some of the pollen is deposited in the trap. 

Easom said they package the pollen and then people will use it in a higher dose in their tea, coffee, or drink of choice.  

Fun Fact 

A bee is the Oklahoma State insect. 

The Oklahoma State bird is the scissor-tailed flycatcher and also catches honeybees. 

Only in Oklahoma do we have the Oklahoma bird going after the Oklahoma insect.