Bees, wasps, and honey play a potentially important role in the medical world. Only bees make honey, but both bees and wasps are of interest because their bites, though usually trivial, can cause allergic reactions ranging from mild swelling and itching to life-threatening anaphylaxis. These biting insects belong to the order Hymenoptera and need to be distinguished from one another.
Wasps
Wasps are a diverse group with a wide range of behaviors. Their reputation as the more dangerous and less productive cousins of bees has made them effective symbols of threat and destructive behavior. In literature, they have typically received unfavorable treatment, often signifying malice, aggression, or painful experiences. They tend to be carnivorous. Predator wasps hunt caterpillars and flies to feed their larvae, whereas scavenging wasps feed on dead animals and other organic matter.
Wasps have a slender body, a narrow waist, smooth and shiny skin, and powerful jaws with a sharp stinger that they can use several times without dying, unlike honeybees. They are crucial to controlling insect populations and pests and maintaining ecological balance. They exhibit varying degrees of social arrangements. Hornets and yellow jackets are social and live in colonies with a queen and workers. Other wasps are solitary and live and hunt independently, creating nests for their offspring, which they provide with captured prey. Some wasps are pollinators (such as the fig wasps), though they are less efficient than bees. Multiple wasp stings can cause toxic reactions due to the amount of venom injected, causing systemic effects such as kidney or liver damage even in individuals without allergies. Wasp venom contains mastoparan, a peptide that can stimulate histamine release and disrupt cell membranes and has been studied as a remedy for various illnesses. Other wasp venoms have also been studied as potential sources of antitumor agents, and venom immunotherapy has been used to treat allergic reactions to wasp stings.
Bees
Plants, specifically flowers, produce nectar, a sweet, sugar-rich liquid designed to attract pollinating animals. Bees collect nectar, treat it enzymatically, and dehydrate it to about 17% water to produce honey, a concentrated solution that can be stored for long periods of time, passed on to other bees, and stored in honeycomb cells. Their contribution to global food security is immense, as much of human food depends on pollination. The honeybee (Apis mellifera) has been domesticated for centuries for its ability to produce honey and wax. It has specialized anatomical features, such as a hairy body and pollen baskets, that enable it to collect and transport pollen from flower to flower and nourish its colonies.
Bees operate in a sophisticated social structure, with distinct roles for the queen, workers, and drones. The queen is responsible for laying eggs, and female workers perform tasks such as foraging for food, building and maintaining the hive, and caring for young. Drones are male bees whose sole purpose is to mate with the queen.
Beyond honey production, bee stings can inject substances that cause pain, swelling, hives, and itching; severe reactions may include anaphylaxis, difficulty breathing, throat and tongue swelling, dizziness, and a drop in blood pressure. Bee stings contain various substances such as melittin, apamin, adolapin, and phospholipase A2. These have been used in apitherapy, a controversial medicinal therapy in which bee sting products are injected to treat various ailments such as arthritis and neuralgia.
In ancient Egypt, bees were revered as sacred creatures connected to the divine. The bee hieroglyph served as a royal symbol, with Lower Egypt often represented by the bee. In ancient Greece, bees were associated with the Delphic oracle priestesses, who were sometimes called “Melissae” or “bees,” connecting these insects to prophecy and divine communication. Across diverse cultures, bees maintain spiritual significance. In Hindu tradition, the god Krishna is often depicted with a blue bee on his forehead, while in Celtic mythology, bees were messengers between worlds.
Honey
The Bible contains numerous references to honey, most famously describing the Promised Land as “flowing with milk and honey,” establishing honey as a symbol of abundance and divine blessing. Throughout world literature, honey appears as a symbol of sweetness and reward. From Winnie the Pooh’s honey obsession to biblical references of “words sweeter than honey,” it represents life’s pleasures and natural bounty. The flavor and color of honey vary depending on the flower from which the nectar was collected. For example, clover honey is light in color and mild in flavor, while buckwheat honey is dark and robust.
Honey has long been used as a dietary supplement and a sweetener. The ancient Egyptian Smith Papyrus, dating back to 2600 BCE, documents honey’s application in treating wounds. Its antimicrobial properties made it an effective material in preventing bacterial growth. Its unique composition, which includes sugars, enzymes, minerals, and antioxidants, gives it a range of beneficial properties. It also contains hydrogen peroxide, flavonoids, and phenolic acids that may prevent infection and promote wound healing. It suppresses cough and soothes sore throats. Various compounds have been studied for their potential anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and even anticancer properties. It has been useful for the quick and also for the dead, as indicated by Alexander the Great’s body purportedly being embalmed in honey and never found.