Did you know that around 25,000 species of bees exist in the world today? About three-fourths of them are solitary, meaning that they don’t live in colonies but instead burrow into the soil or other places. Very few of them make honey. So do bees eat honey? If they make it, they eat it. So what do other bees eat? And what else do bees make? We’re going to explore everything about these sweet little vegetarian critters!

What Makes A Bee A Bee?

Here’s the story. Millions of years ago there were no flowers. Instead, ferns, mosses, and conifers stored spores or male and female pollen in dull packets to be distributed by the wind. No brightly colored sweet-scented flowers and fruit. The first insects were flightless but developing the ability to fly made their lives much easier because pollen was nutritious.

Some beetles and flying wasplike insects preferred the lifestyle of landing on plants to nibble. It was only a matter of time before plants co-evolved with insects to take advantage of their flying around to aid in their reproduction. It was much more efficient than random gusts of wind.

You know the question about which came first, the chicken or the egg? If you ponder the question of which came first, the pollen or the pollinator, the answer is that it was a partnership. The newly emerged flowering plants flourished when insects found their colors attractive and their sweet nectar refreshing.

The first fossils of flowering plants appeared around 130 million years ago, beginning what one bee lover called “the longest marketing campaign in history.” The insect-flower partnership worked so well that flowering plants quickly spread all over the globe. The protein-rich pollen was as nutritious as the prey insects the carnivorous wasps devoured, so some of them specialized as pollen-eaters.

Bee joke

Life Stages Of Honey Bees:

  • Eggs: Eggs are the result of the queen bee leaving the nest for a few romantic flights to mate more than 20 times in mid-air with different drones. She then returns to the nest to begin laying over 1000 eggs daily.
  • Larvae: After three days, each egg develops into a larva, a small grub that is fed by young nurse worker bees.
  • Pupae: After about six days, the worker bees cap each cell with beeswax so the larvae will spin cocoons around themselves and, like butterflies, begin to transform. Depending on which kind of jelly the nurse worker bees have fed them, they emerge as workers, queens, or drones.
  • Role determination: Most of the eggs will develop into female workers as well as a few queens, but the unfertilized eggs become male drones. Worker bees feed the larvae special jelly made in special glands in the heads and mouths of young nurse worker bees. The type of jelly controls the growth of the larvae.

Workers, Queens, And Drones

  • Workers: Fed “worker jelly,” eggs destined to become workers emerge in 18 – 22 days. They start work immediately, cleaning and prepping wax cells. After a few days, she begins work as a brood nurse to care for the larvae by feeding them.

    Around two weeks later, she graduates to producing wax to build and repair the cells in the nest. About three weeks later, she becomes a guard bee to defend the nest against threats. She eventually begins the last stage of her career by collecting pollen and nectar.

    Other duties include collecting water, removing dead larvae and bees, and fanning air to control the internal temperature. Workers only live around six weeks, spending every day of their lives helping the nest
  • Queens: Fed “royal jelly” with more protein and extra nutrients, queen bees emerge in 16 days. They spend their lives laying eggs except during a winter break. When the colony needs more space, the queen will lay extra eggs destined to become queens, and then she will lead a swarm of bees out to establish a new nest elsewhere. A queen may live as long as four years.
  • Drones: Fed “drone jelly,” adult drones emerge in 24 days. They have no other purpose but to fertilize a queen. After mating, the drone dies.

Leaving the Nest

Leaving the nest: When the nest becomes overcrowded, the old queen and part of the colony leave in a swarm. They find a safe place to wait while scout worker bees explore potential sites for the new nest. Ideal nesting sites are usually hollow trees, rock crevices, caves, or underneath roofs.

Communicating by dance, each scout reports on the location and suitability, also taking time to disrupt the dances of other scouts. Eventually, a decision is made as other scouts and colony members gravitate toward the most effective communicator and echo the dance as well as disrupt the remaining dancers. A nest will be used and enlarged for several years.

Check out this National Geographic video to get an idea of what it’s like to be a honeybee.

Where Do Bees Go In The Winter?

When the weather gets cold, honey bees will hunker down in their nests. Do bees eat honey? Winter is the time they survive off the honey they’ve been storing during the previous months. On warmer days the field workers will seek water and whatever flowers are nearby.

Although many insects hibernate, honey bees don’t. Keeping the nest warm requires a lot of energy, as does flying in cold temperatures. As soon as the weather begins to warm up in early spring, bees are on the go again in search of pollen and nectar to bring back to the hive to begin replenishing the honey.

One of the toughest times for a hive is in very early spring because not much is blooming yet. With their highly developed sense of smell, foraging bees will find your offerings hopefully before the ants do.

One of the most important factors in helping bee colonies survive is ensuring that their stores of honey are not robbed in the fall before the bees have time to make more. You can leave out pieces of raw ripening fruits such as oranges, plums, peaches, grapes, apples, bananas, pears, and figs that substitute for nectar.

Planting Cold-Hardy Early Bloomers:

  • Ajuga
  • Bellflower
  • Bleeding heart
  • Bush clematis
  • Chives
  • Crocus
  • Grape hyacinth
  • Jacob’s ladder
  • Lilac
  • Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
  • Mahonia
  • Peony
  • Potentilla
  • Sand cherry

Do Bees Drink Water & What Do Bees Do During A Drought?

do bees drink water

Bees need water, not only to drink but to thin the honey and to cool the nest or hive. They use their excellent sense of smell to locate it. Once they’ve found a reliable source, they’ll keep coming back. Not only do they prefer slightly salty water, but also nutrient-rich water that smells like dead leaves, worms, moss, and algae.

With nectar and honey available, they don’t need added sugar. Although sugar water can help them temporarily, it should never be put inside the nest because it can make the inside of the hive damp and promote the growth of mold. Water is less available in winter, but worker bees collect it from dew and other sources on warmer days. They also make use of condensation within the nest.

You can help by maintaining a bee watering station. They’ll think it’s the bee’s knees!

TIP: Bees not only need a good water source throughout the year, but they need to have a place to stand because they can’t swim. Some beekeepers put a piece of untreated wood under an outdoor water spigot and let it drip. This way water is available all year round regardless of drought or cold.

Do Bees Eat Their Own Honey? What Else Do Bees Make?

Do bees eat honey? Bees make honey for their hive members to eat, especially during the winter when flowers are no longer available, but they make several other substances as well. Some you’ve heard of but the others might surprise you:

  • HONEY: Mouth-watering details in a moment.
  • ROYAL HONEY: This milky secretion made by worker bees provides early nourishment for developing larvae as well as for the queen her entire life. It contains water, proteins, sugars, fats, vitamins, salts, and more.
  • BEE BREAD: Basically a chewed mixture of pollen and nectar or honey along with other secretions, bacteria, and molds, bee bread is what worker larvae and adults eat.

Propolis And Wax

  • PROPOLIS: Made from plant resins, propolis is also called “bee glue” because workers use it to line new nests before laying down the honeycomb cells. The workers select various plants to collect their resins for repairing wounds, repelling insects, and protecting new buds. Mixed with saliva and wax, propolis seals holes in the nest that would otherwise allow heat to escape.

    If an invader such as a mouse is too large to carry out of the nest after the workers have stung it to death, it will be “embalmed” in propolis. In fact, the ancient Egyptians sometimes used propolis during the mummification process.
  • WAX: Do all bees make wax? No, only those from the genus Apis, which includes 11 species of social bees living in nests, making honey, and communicating by dancing. Beeswax contains over 280 compounds depending on the type of pollen used.
  • VENOM: Not all bee species can sting, and most bees that can sting won’t unless provoked

What Exactly Is Honey?

what do bees use honey for

As you know by now, honey is made from nectar and pollen that honey bees collect and process to feed the colony. “Do bees eat honey?” you asked. Yes, yes, yes! Most honey is “multi-floral,” made from different kinds of flowers. Mono-floral honeys are more expensive because they’re made from mostly one flower type and have distinctive flavors.

Popular varieties of honey:

  • Acacia: It actually comes from the black locust tree and has a sweet, strong honey flavor and pale color; often used for skin conditions because of its antibacterial properties.
  • Buckwheat: Thick, dark, and strong, this honey is highly nutritious, delicious when used as a marinade, and highly effective as a healing wound poultice.
  • Clover: The most popular type in North America, it is amber-colored with a light floral taste.
  • Dandelion: Made early in the season, it is dark amber with an intense floral flavor and a tart finish.
  • Eucalyptus: Predictably, this honey has a menthol-like herbal flavor but is often used as a home remedy for respiratory conditions.

More Varieties

  • Linden: Popular in Europe from fragrant linden trees, it has a bright, slightly herbal taste; it also has mildly sedative properties.
  • Manuka: Made from the tea tree bush, it has a medicinal flavor, but is popular for strong antibacterial properties; used for oral health, the FDA has also approved it for wound treatment.
  • Orange blossom: Light-colored with a delicate citrus flavor, popular in Spain and Mexico.
  • Sage: Light and mild, this honey is often mixed with other honeys to keep them liquid instead of crystallizing.
  • Sourwood: Not sour at all, sourwood honey boasts a rich caramel flavor with hints of butter and spice; made to be enjoyed.
  • Tupelo: From southern swamps, this luscious honey has been described as “buttery smooth.”
  • Wildflower: A multi-floral honey that varies from batch to batch; light with a fruity flavor.

Another type you may not have heard of is “honeydew honey,” made from bees stroking the aphids of sap-sucking insects to collect the sweet secretions.

What DO Honey Bees Eat And Do Queen Bees Eat Honey?

The best food for bees is the honey they make. What do bees use for energy? If they’ve had access to flowers all season, they will have made and stored enough honey to sustain them. So do bees eat honey? There is one exception, as you’ll read about next. The workers do and the drones do, but not the queen.

She’s able to feed herself, but being the queen, she is always surrounded by her personal attendants tending to her every need. They even pre-digest her nectar and honey for her into royal jelly, feeding it to her mouth-to-mouth all of her life! Queens eat almost constantly, too, because their job is to produce thousands of eggs to populate the hive. Now you know the answer to “Do bees eat honey!”

Flower Power

honey bees on flowers

Did you know that without bees and other animals carrying pollen from flower to flower, about three-fourths of native American plants would likely disappear? On one trip, a foraging worker bee will check out about 100 flowers to gather nectar and pollen. She’ll make 10-15 trips per day.

On a good day she might visit as many as 5000 blossoms. Although the big foraging season ranges from March through September, bees will go any time of the year if the temperature reaches 50F.

Plant your flowers in clumps or “drifts” of individual species instead of mixing them since the bees focus on one type of flower per trip. You’ll want to plan your plantings so something is blooming all the time. When choosing plants, you might be tempted to try out new cultivars advertised as double flowers.

These varieties produce exotic blooms resembling two flowers in one with lush, thickly layered petals. Although beautiful, they’re not good for bees and other pollinators because the extra petals make the nectar and pollen difficult to access. Choose single flowers whenever you can.

Bee tongue length is another factor determining the best flowers for bees. Different species of pollinators have different tongue lengths. That’s another reason why it’s good to provide bees with a variety of choices. Avoid hybrids because they’re sterile, hence, no pollen.

Provide some bushes or trees that offer protective scaffolding for the plants. Regarding color, red appears black to bees. Bees respond best to blue, purple, yellow, orange, and white. Avoid toxic pesticides and fungicides or at least apply them when pollinators aren’t active, either very early or very late. Not at all is best.

A Word About Native Plants

what are native plants

While many environmentalists advocate the use of native plants over non-native plants, climate change is affecting the ecology all over the world as species migrate or die off. For that reason, a newer school of thought is suggesting that choosing a variety of non-invasive plants might be the best strategy to keep local wildlife healthy. To learn more about other pollinators, check out our Happy Tails post on butterflies!

Suggestions for bee gardens:

  • Alyssum
  • Basil
  • Bee balm
  • Black-eyed Susan
  • Borage
  • Butterfly bush
  • Calendula
  • Chives
  • Cleome
  • Coneflower
  • Comfrey
  • Cornflowers
  • Dill
  • Hellebore
  • Honeysuckle
  • Lamb’s ear
  • Lantana
  • Lilacs
  • Lavender
  • Mint
  • Oregano
  • Poppies
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Salvia
  • Sedum (especially Sedum spectabile)
  • Snapdragons
  • Sunflowers
  • Thyme
  • Verbena
  • Wallflowers
  • Wisteria
  • Zinnias

Why Weeds Are Not Weeds!

Weeds are unwanted plants. In light of climate change and declining insect populations, the term “weeds” is quickly becoming obsolete. We prefer to call them “wildflowers” because they feed a large number of pollinators.

Do bees eat honey? They can when they can make enough from abundant flowers all season long. By mowing lawns less frequently, flowering weeds such as the following can significantly contribute to local bee colonies:

  • Bird’s foot trefoil
  • Chickweed
  • Creeping Charlie
  • Crimson red clover
  • Daisies
  • Dandelions
  • Henbit
  • Joe Pye weed
  • Purple deadnettle
  • White clover

What Kind Of Birds Eat Honey & Honey Bees?

In the wild, few birds eat honey because nectar is so much easier to access. Also, honey is thick and sticky, so it can disable flight feathers. However, honey’s stickiness makes it an excellent binder when used to make delicious bird treats, so check out our recipes!

Some species of birds in the U.S. that go after honey bees include purple martins, thrushes, swifts, kingbirds, mockingbirds, summer and scarlet tanagers, and woodpeckers. Woodpeckers are the most assertive because they focus on a specific hive and feed off any available bees. Most bee-eaters also consume wasps, instinctively knowing how to quickly remove the stingers.

Did you know that in some areas of Africa, humans and wild birds known as greater honeyguides have partnered up to locate honey bee nests? The humans want the honey and the honeyguides want the wax. The humans call to the birds to alert them when an expedition is forming, then follow the birds who slowly lead them to the nest.

After smoking the nest to calm the bees, the humans share the combs with the birds. The honeyguides aren’t domesticated but in some cases, the wild birds even initiate the calls to the humans to help them open a recently located nest.

Is Honey Healthy?

how much honey a day

Honey is meant to sustain busy, fast-growing bee larvae and active adults, so it has to be extremely healthful. Its benefits are most available when it’s raw, unfiltered, and locally sourced instead of highly processed and diluted. Manuka honey provides the biggest antibacterial and antifungal punch. Dandelion, heather, honeydew, and tupelo honey are said to contain the most antioxidants (vitamins A, C, and E, plus phenolic acid and flavonoids).

Other nutrients include B-complex vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin K, and minerals such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and zinc. Dark honeys are the most nutritionally concentrated.

Benefits Of Raw Honey Vs. Commercially Processed Honey

Mass production as well as the desire for convenience have governed food production for many years. Unfortunately, processed foods generally exchange freshness for extended shelf life by adding chemical stabilizers, preservatives, dyes, artificial flavoring, and less nutrient-dense fillers like corn syrup.

In addition, to save money and increase production, factory farming methods have generally replaced humane farming practices. Animals are housed in crowded conditions to save space, fed the cheapest feed, and discarded when they become ill or when their productivity declines.

However, as people become more aware of sustainable farming practices, the tide is turning. In the case of bees, beekeepers are finding that their hives are healthier and more productive when allowed to live more natural lives. Buying natural, unprocessed, raw honey from local farms will give you the most healthful honey with the most benefits.

Usually store-bought honey contains many additives as well as additional non-honey sweetening agents. Genuine fresh honey may be cloudy or crystallized or contain bits of honeycomb, and that’s all good.

In the case of our household pets, many humans are taking advantage of BARF-type diets: Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods. This means eliminating processed ingredients in favor of the natural raw foods found in the wild, with freshness, balance, and variety. This is why we suggest homemade pet treats with natural honey instead of sugar, corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners. See recipes below.

Medicinal Uses Of Honey

Not only has honey been used for thousands of years as an oral medication and skin poultice, but it is still used today. Although all honeys have antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory effects, manuka honey from New Zealand by far contains the most.

Taken by mouth, honey is used to stimulate appetite, reduce cough symptoms and cough duration, ease sore throats, aid stomach ulcers, improve sleep quality during respiratory illnesses, balance gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, and help ease joint pain. When local honey is taken, it may assist with seasonal allergies due to trace amounts of pollen possibly stimulating the body’s immune system.

Honey also fights infection and stimulates healing in wounds and skin conditions such as injuries, burns, road rash, diabetes-related foot ulcers, eczema, insect bites, rashes, and hot spots. Researchers are exploring its effectiveness with psoriasis, herpes lesions, and MRSA infections.

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

Is it spelled “honey bee” or “honeybee?
According to the Entomological Society of America, the correct spelling is “honey bee” to specify one of many kinds of bees.

What’s The Difference Between A Nest And A Hive?
A nest is a place where a colony of honeybees builds a safe home, often in hollow trees, rock cavities, caves, or under overhanging roofs. A hive is a manmade structure built for a colony in order to harvest their honey. Archaeological evidence suggests that humans have been beekeeping for over 9,000 years.

Who Else Eats Honey?
Do bees eat honey? Bees make it for the colony to eat, but other animals such as bears, honey badgers, raccoons, opossums, skunks, and humans also eat honey. They also eat the wax and the nutritious larvae and pupae.

“Eeewwww!” you’re saying! But the larvae and pupae, referred to as “honey bee brood,” are consumed in many countries including Mexico, Australia, and Thailand. They’re commonly eaten dried or cooked, often in soups and in egg dishes.

Is Beeswax Edible?
Bees make wax from the honey they eat. The workers secrete it from glands in their abdomen, then chew it to make it soft. Originally white, it turns yellowish from absorbing pollen oils. Unlike wax made from paraffin, a petroleum product, it contains no added chemicals and is basically inert. You’ve probably already eaten it in the form of food glazes on hams, turkey, pastries, and other sweets.

Honey Recipes for Your Pets

Can birds eat honey? In treats, absolutely yes!

Homemade Bird Treats With Honey

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup quality bird seed
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • Optional: Finely chopped dried fruit
  • Optional: Finely chopped chilis (safe for birds according to the author)

METHOD:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Combine dry ingredients.
  3. Add dried fruit and chilis if used and mix well.
  4. Add water and mix well, then add honey to form a dough.
  5. If the mixture is too sticky add more seed or flour.
  6. Roll the mixture into small balls.
  7. Place lined baking tray. If you want to hang them, push holes in them with a chopstick or straw.
  8. Bake 20-30 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven when firm and beginning to brown.
  10. Once cooled store in an airtight container.

http://www.allpetseducationandtraining.com.au/homemade-bird-treats.html
“I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where I work and live. I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging. I celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.”

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Homemade Birdseed Treats
Honey Treat #1

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup birdseed
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 egg white
  • Chopped nuts
  • Chopped fruit

METHOD:

  1. Combine birdseed, honey, and egg white.
  2. Add enough nuts and fruit to make a thick mixture.
  3. Spread on lined baking sheet let sit for two hours.
  4. Break into small chunks and serve.

https://animals.mom.com/how-to-make-homemade-bird-seed-treats-12191359.html
These treats and several others can be made for pet birds and wild birds alike, either broken into chunks or spread into pine cones or over cuttlebones.

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Honey Treat #2 ~ Birds

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cuttlebone
  • Honey
  • Birdseed

METHOD:

  1. Coat cuttlebone with honey, then sprinkle with birdseed.
  2. Place in freezer until seeds are firmly set.
  3. Bring to room temperature and present to pet bird.

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Homemade Bird Treats With Millet

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tbsp birdseed
  • 2 tbsp oats
  • 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
  • Some millet
  • 1/2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp honey

METHOD:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Mix birdseed, oats, flour, and millet.
  3. Add water and stir.
  4. Add honey and mix until fully incorporated into a dough. Add more water or flour to make dough easy to work with and not sticky.
  5. Roll small balls and put them on a baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuHeeC1RRTc

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Homemade DOG Treats With Honey

Honey Apple Pupcakes For DOGS

Do dogs eat honey? Oh, yes!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 ¾ cups of water
  • ¼ cup applesauce
  • 2 tbsp raw unfiltered honey
  • 1/8 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 medium-size egg
  • 4 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup dried apple chips
  • 1 tbsp baking powder

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Mix water, applesauce, honey, egg, and vanilla together in bowl.
  3. Add remaining ingredients and blen well.
  4. Pour into lightly greased muffin pans.
  5. Bake for 1 ¼ hours

https://siouxhoney.com/recipe/pupcakes-pet-treats/

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Double Sweet-Sweet Potato Dog Cookies

Sweet potatoes contain vitamin A, B6, and fiber. These homemade dog treats are great for diabetic dogs because sweet potatoes may help stabilize blood sugar and lower insulin resistance.
Pumpkin: Substitute or add fresh or canned pumpkin for this recipe but not pumpkin pie filling.
Wheat-Free: Use a gluten-free flour like potato, rice, or oat.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/8 cup honey
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Peel and cut sweet potato into 1-inch chunks. Place into a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a paper towel, and heat for 2 minutes or until soft.
  3. Mash soft sweet potato chunks with a fork.
  4. Stir together with the applesauce and honey.
  5. Lightly beat the egg and mix into potato mixture.
  6. Gradually stir in flour until combined.
  7. Lightly grease a baking sheet or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  8. Using a 1-inch cookie scooper, place round mounds onto the baking sheet.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes.
  10. Cool on wire rack.
  11. Keep in refrigerator and use within one week. May be frozen for up to 6 months.

Yield: Makes approximately 20 dog cookies.

http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/recipe-for-dog-treats.html

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Becky Hardin’s Peanut Butter Dog Treats

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup peanut butter (BE SURE IT CONTAINS NO XYLITOL)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons honey

For the Frosting:
⅓ cup cornstarch (or potato starch or arrowroot powder)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
3-4 tablespoons hot water

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Combine flour and egg in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add peanut butter, water, and honey. Stir until dough is stiff, mixing with your hands if necessary.
  4. Roll out dough about 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Make different shapes using cookie cutters.
  5. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden.
  6. Once done, set aside to cool (with smaller cookies, shorten baking time to prevent burning).
  7. To make frosting, combine peanut butter and honey, and microwave in 15-second increments, mixing each time.
  8. Stir melted peanut butter mixture into cornstarch until just combined.
  9. Add 1 tablespoon water at a time until reaching desired consistency.
  10. Add icing to a piping bag and pipe designs on each dog treat.
  11. Frost treats with the peanut butter/honey mixture if desired.
  12. Store in an airtight container or give as gifts!
  13. Upload an image on Instagram or tag me @thecookierookie!

Becky’s Tips:
You’re making two different frosting consistencies. Thicker frosting will hold the outline; thinner frosting will fill the inside.
To make thicker frosting, you need 2-3 tablespoons of water to be thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to be squeezed through a piping tip. Use it to create the outline of your design and let dry about 10 minutes.
Thinner frosting requires at least 3-4 tablespoons of water. Fill in the outline with the thinner frosting, smoothing it out with your fingertip.
Since some dogs have an allergy to wheat, you can make wheat-free treats by using rice flour or coconut flour.
XYLITOL is an artificial sweetener that can be fatal to dogs, so always check food labels first! Some peanut butter contains xylitol.

https://www.thecookierookie.com/pb-dog-treats/

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Homemade CAT Treats With Honey

Raw Honey Catnip Bites

Do cats eat honey? Oh, yes!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of organic catnip
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup milk***
  • 1/3 cup dry milk***
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey
  • 1 large egg
  • ****Substitute milk for almond milk or plant based milk

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate mixing bowls, then combine by adding the wet mixture to the dry mixture to form a dough.
  3. Roll out the dough, adding more whole wheat flour if needed.
  4. Cut dough into small shapes or squares.
  5. Bake catnip bites for about 20 minutes or until light brown.
  6. Allow to cool completely.
  7. Place in an airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.

TIP: Although many people think milk is good for cats, many can’t digest dairy products because they don’t produce lactase. Lactose is the enzyme that breaks down the sugar lactose that naturally occurs in milk products. You’ve heard of some people being lactose intolerant. Although cats can digest flour and eggs, they can’t tolerate dough containing yeast because it can cause bloating and even alcohol poisoning. If you think this recipe is one your cat will love, then get cooking!

https://manukahoneyusa.com/how-to-make-honey-catnip-bites-for-your-cat/

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Tuna & Honey Cat Treats

INGREDIENTS:

  • Cooked fresh tuna 2.5 ounces / 70 grams
  • Eggs 2 ounces / 60 grams
  • Honey 1.77 ounces / 50 grams
  • Carrots 0.7 ounces / 20 grams
  • Rice flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 355F.
  2. Roast fresh tuna and pumpkin until smooth, then cool and crush.
  3. Peel and grate carrots.
  4. In a bowl, beat egg, then add carrot, tuna, and honey. If needed, add some rice flour to make an even dough.
  5. Form little balls and sprinkle with rice flour.
  6. Place the treats on greased tray or parchment paper on baking tray and bake 10-15 minutes.
  7. Cool at room temperature.
  8. Store in a tightly sealed container for 1 week.

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Homemade RABBIT Treats With Honey


Do rabbits eat honey? Oh, yes!

Bunny Biscuits

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 carrot, pureed carrot
  • 1/2 banana, mashed
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/4 cup rabbit pellets
  • 1/4 cup of oatmeal.

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. With a coffee grinder or blender, grind the rabbit pellets and oatmeal into fine powder.
  3. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
  4. Knead dough with your hands 1-2 minutes.
  5. Roll dough into 1/4-inch layers between parchment paper or wax paper.
  6. Cut dough in small squares or cut with small cookie cutters.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn heat off and allow cookies to sit in the oven for about an hour. Refrigerate extras.

https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Rabbit-Treats

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Rabbit or Guinea Pig Treats

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup oatmeal
  • 1 cup rabbit pellets
  • 2/3 cup natural or low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. In large bowl mix all ingredients.
  3. Roll out dough and cut into shapes.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Turn off oven and leave treats in the oven for an hour.
  6. Serve.

https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Rabbit-Treats

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rabbit Honey Balls

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup crushed Weetabix
  • 1/4 cup oats, honey,
  • 1/3 cup crushed rabbit pellets
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • Honey

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Mix everything together except honey.
  2. Add honey a little bit at a time just enough to make ingredients stick together.
  3. Roll into small quarter-sized balls.
  4. Serve in moderation since frequent sweets can cause dental issues, obesity, and diabetes.

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Final Thoughts

Do bees eat honey? Now you know that honeybees eat honey along with many other animals. Honey is a nutritional and medicinal substance made by creatures that have helped support life on earth for millions of years.

If we claim to love animals and love our earth, then it’s our responsibility to ensure that bees are protected. Using pesticides and herbicides results in killing off bee colonies.

Maintaining grass lawns instead of flowering plants contributes to the decline of bee populations. In fact, declining diversity of plants is the main cause of the decline of native bees. Each of you reading this can make a difference! To learn more, check out our resources below after one last joke:
If there’s a bee in my hand, what’s in my eye?
Bee-eauty. Bee-eauty is in the eye of the bee-holder.

Resources

A magazine for beekeepers:
https://www.beeculture.com/12-types-of-honey/

The best water for bees:
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=26345

All about pollinators:
https://ucanr.edu/sites/PollenNation/Meet_The_Pollinators/Bees_496/#:~:text=Most%20bees%2C%20approximately%2075%25%2C,nests%20tunneled%20into%20the%20soil.

What kinds of flowers bees prefer:
https://www.almanac.com/best-flowers-bees

Learn about Greater Honeyguides in Mozambique:
https://www.audubon.org/news/meet-greater-honeyguide-bird-understands-humans#:~:text=Flock%20Together-,Meet%20the%20Greater%20Honeyguide%2C%20the%20Bird%20That%20Understands%20Humans,simple%20%22brrr%2Dhm.%22&text=The%20Greater%20Honeyguide%20is%20the%20Jekyll%20and%20Hyde%20of%20birds

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