(no subject)

[ewx]

So people say that "local honey" helps against hayfever. I don't like honey anyway (though I do like mead...) but this got me wondering.

Presumably the logic is that the bees that make the honey will have pollen from local flowers on them, and that some of this will get into the honey, and that this somehow causes you not to react to the pollen when you encounter it in your eyes and nose; and that it has to be "local" so that the mix of kinds of plants is right for where you are.

But surely, the plants that use bees to spread their pollen won't be spraying it into the air?

Can anyone clarify this (either regarding the final question or the whole thing)?

Comments

[mhk.livejournal.com]

The simple answer is that it is probably an old wives' tale.

You are right about the pollen. The plants that expect their pollen to be spread on the wind produce it in copious quantities and don't bother too much with attractive flowers and those are usually the pollens involved in hay fever. cp grass. Others make pretty flowers and place their pollen in an area of the flower where it will stick on insects' legs, and the parts for fertilising in similarly reachable areas where it will rub off again. The honey made by bees is mainly composed of the nectar provided for them as a treat in return for pollen carrying duties, although there would almost certainly be some loose pollen in and around it too and I believe this also produces some of the nourishment bee sprogs need. But I'm not a botanist either, so I am not too sure about the amount of pollen that ends up in honey.