One of these days I’m going to have a garden with a bunch of bee hives. And although this isn’t the right house for them, I can’t stop dreaming about keeping them.
Not only would I love to keep bees for pollinating my gardens, but the prospect of honey definitely sweetens the idea.
While the sheer possibility of a big mason jar of honey in my kitchen cabinets sends my taste buds into overdrive, I hear that there are lots of other ways to use honey as well.
Here are 10 cool uses for honey, besides eating.
Give yourself a facial. Honey softens the skin and has healing properties, so glop some on, wait a bit and rinse. Plus, if in the process, some sneaks onto your lips, it will be an added bonus.
Use as an antiseptic. Next time you get a cut or scrap, try dabbing honey on the wound, it’s natural antiseptic qualities should have you boo-boo free in no time.
Put away those expensive energy bars and take a spoonful of honey to your next workout. Take a tablespoon before you exercise and it will provide a great natural energy boost.
Use to treat allergies. Local raw honey has been shown to minimize symptoms of hay fever.
Use to treat a sore throat. I guess Mary Poppins was right, “a spoonful of honey” really does help the medicine go down. Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a cup and mix with a tablespoon of honey. It should help ease the pain of a sore throat.
Use to treat a cough. A tablespoon of honey is supposed to coat the throat, lessening a persistent cough.
Make your own lip balm. Use a little honey, almond oil and beeswax to make your own moisturizing {and completely natural} lip balm.
Get rid of parasites. Mix honey, vinegar, and water to rid yourself of worms and parasites. {Hmmm, wonder if this would work as a maintenance program for dogs–anyone know?}
Treat acne. Dab a little on your blemish and let sit.
Control hair frizzies. Dab a little on your ends and rinse, or mix honey with some olive oil for a deep conditioning hair mask {allow it to sit for 20 minutes and then wash it out}.
Did you know that in the 11th century, honey was in such high demand that German peasants were required to pay their feudal lords in honey and beeswax? Now that is interesting!
How about YOU, do you use honey for anything besides eating?
~Mavis
Lana says
Raw honey can be helpful for an upset stomach as well.
My Dad kept bees when he was a child and always had such fond memories of it. My grandparents had a mini homestead going and raised rabbits for meat and had tons of fruit trees and a huge raspberry patch plus a huge vegetable garden. Dad always loved honey but would never eat another mouthful or rabbit after he left home. He passed away in 2020 but would have turned 88 last week.
JC says
We keep bees, it’s wonderful! But a word of caution, study up on keeping bees before getting them.
Yes they pollinate and make honey but they also need time and care, they need their hives checked for issues and they will swarm if they are crowded and start raising queen cells.
Please educate yourself before getting them. Yes the honey is wonderful and I am so thankful to have it.
JC
debbie in alaska says
I used Manuka honey for all things first aid — on humans and on our dogs. It works better than Neosporin — it even treated an infection one of my dogs had from a wound. Amazing stuff. I am intrigued by the parasite thing — I read recently (and heard from a pharmaceutical rep) that many illnesses that are thought to be autoimmune issues are actually parasite related — but being mistreated. So being able to possibly treat parasites this way would be cool.
Lana says
Parasite infection is a huge factor for so many sick people. I was chemically sensitive and allergic to all but 14 foods 13 years ago. I went to an alternative practitioner and the very first thing she treated me for was parasites. My health immediately started to turn around for the better.
debbie in alaska says
That’s amazing – I’m so glad to hear that Lana!
Sue says
Always use a wooden spoon when working with honey, a medal ones kills all the good things you want in your honey. Look it up.
debbie in alaska says
Even if you are just putting it in your tea? Or mainly for storage (the honey pots where the utensil stays inside the pot?)
Sue S. says
What a great topic Mavis. Thank you. You come up with the most interesting emails and I read everyone. We love honey and use it to sweeten coffee and tea but I’m going to try some of the other suggestions particularly those related to allergies. I have a child with asthma. May e honey could help. Parasites and worms. Who knew??
Bella says
I use honey on my grandmother bedsores, they went away in about a month, that’s fast healing for someone that’s 100 . I use it on cuts from coral to prevent infection and use it as a face mask with some clay and honey . And a good strong grog is a gateway to health , rum, juice of 2 limes, 2 tablespoons of honey and hot water . After 3 of them, you don’t care if you are sick or not.
Brianna says
I am a beekeeper too. I am part of a local club and we do a lot of mentoring and outreach and education and many people love the idea of having bees, but don’t understand the demands, pests, process, etc. I would suggest reaching out to a local bee club before getting bees. You could also consider keeping bees offsite. Beekeeping can be expensive too.
I lost a huge amount of my bees in end of June/early July because they were poisoned. It broke my heart to see them all outside the hives on the ground. They are slowly building up colonies again and recovering. No honey this year for me as they need what stores they have to get them through the winter.
maureen detmer says
bella, that is so funny, will have to try that grog.
kept bees for 15 years or more, still have 5 gallon buckets in my basement, never goes bad.
tc says
I use honey on burns and never have a scar, touch a hot stove, burn with hot water, smother with organic raw honey cover with gauze and It has worked every time.
andrea d says
Yes! so many great uses! I make facewash for my kids with honey and some beneficial essential oils. Helps clear up that teenage acne pretty well.
Kathy Wolfe says
Do you have a timeline for how long you are staying in this house or do you just play it by ear? Bee hives are wonderful but do require lots of TLC. Looking forward to the new property tour.
L Bryant says
Mavis beekeeping is a major commitment of time, MONEY and energy. I’ve kept bees for almost 10 years and its still a challenge. Join a club, find a mentor and spend a full year helping with their bees.
I have had many friends say they want bees but at a bare minimum cost of $500 to$600 per hive to start and trust me you will have to add more boxes and frames. The first year can easily top $750 dollars a hive. It is never advised to take any honey the first year from a new hive so they can survive the winter.
Never ever have hives if you have neighbors who spray for mosquitoes or have their lawn sprayed regularly. Thats a guarantee for having dead hives (bees travel up to 3 miles for food).
I still love beekeeping but the hot summers here in GA make it challenging.