“If companies will prove that specific cannabis
strains can cure or treat specific illnesses, then
we can make honey from those specific strains,
specifically to treat the correlating illness.”
We humans love bees, and with good reason.
They pollinate one-third of the food we consume and contribute
billions to the global economy. And while they do carry a
painful sting, some find them pretty cute, which is more than
can be said for wasps or scorpions.
Habitat loss, climate change and disease have put some bees
under the threat of extinction. But thankfully, our fuzzy friends
do not appear to be in the grip of a ‘bee apocalypse’, as many
had previously feared.
Nonetheless, any steps we can take to protect and grow the
bee population would surely be as welcomed by humans as by
the bees themselves.
A recent study from Colorado State University showed that
expanse of industrial hemp production in the US could provide
significant benefits to the bee population.
The high quantities of pollen hemp plants produce can be
incredibly attractive to bees, particularly during the late summer
to early autumn period when there aren’t many other types of
flower available.
It was over this period that the team recorded 23 types of bees
foraging among hemp plants in the northern Colorado region.
European honeybees and two other types accounted for 80
percent of the overall abundance.
The challenge now is to develop pest management methods
that do not harm the precious pollinators.
The researchers concluded:
“Industrial hemp can play an important role in providing sustained
nutritional options for bees during the cropping season.”
84 VAPOUROUND CBD MAGAZINE