At 10:58 AM 7/22/96 +0000, you wrote:
>To be honest I am sceptical about some aspects of this subject - or perhaps
>there are mechanisms at work here that are not immediately obvious.
>
>Most pollen related allergies/hayfever are induced by wind pollinated
>plants, e.g. grasses etc.in the Spring and Ragweed in the late summer and
>Autumn.  The makeup of these pollens is greatly different to that of insect
>pollinated plants.  Insect collected pollen (most of the pollen found in
>honey - > 99%+) tends to be larger, more protein and actually provides a
>food source for the gathering insect.  Most have usually evolved with their
>pollinator(s) of choice and are attractive and nutritionally useful to these.
>
>The references about a 50 mile radius for "local honey" are also open to
>question.  The main cause of hayfever from now on in large areas of the US
>is ragweed.  Perhaps some comments on its nectar and pollen source potential
>(or lack of) from others on the list will add information to this
>discussion, but due to its widespread nature, any "local" honey reference is
>meaningless. I would be the first to admit that "local honey is better" is
>not a bad marketing ploy. :)
>
>Comb honey is often cited as being beneficial for hayfever and the presumed
>reason is that it contains more pollen than filtered honey.  This is true if
>the honey is filtered below around 10 microns, but strained (above 200
>microns), normally extracted honey has around 2-3 times the number of pollen
>grains (30,000 to often over 1,000,0000 per 10 grams) as comb honey (usually
>below 50,000/10g)
>
>Any research in this area needs to look beyond what in the initial instance
>appears to be an enticing piece of "logic".  Perhaps there is something more
>complex happening that may have wider (more beneficial?) implications.
>----------------------------------------------------------------
>Peter Bray, Airborne Honey Ltd., PO Box 28, Leeston, New Zealand
>Fax 64-3-324-3236,  Phone 64-3-324-3569  [log in to unmask]
>----------------------------------------------------------------
>
Hi Peter
 
I agree about the rag weed pollan but here in the southern USA the bees
gather ragweed pollan and nectar form late July until other sources of
pollan and bedime available in late August or early September.  The reason
for the 50 mile radius.  Is probably an arbitrary figure,  but the idea is
for a person to get honey that contains pollan form most sources that a
person is likely to encounter localy.
 
Frank Humphrey
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