The simple HoneyBee is significant singularly important insect that provides so much for our survival. Some know of their importance to pollenating plants but do you know these other facts of this mighty “bee”? The average honey bee flies at a speed of 15 mph and visits 50-100 flowers in one trip. To do this, they flap their wings 11,400 times per minute. Bees never sleep and during their lifetime, they only consume 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey. At this rate, one ounce of honey could fuel a bee’s flight around the world! A pound of honey is made from over 2 million flower visits and range up to 55,000 miles back and forth to the hive. The honey comb is equally amazing with its hexagonal (six-sided) shape capable of with standing 25 times its on weight from the 0.002” thick (or shall I say thin) walls. Their hive can consist of up to 60,000 worker bees. Honey keeps very well too! When King Tut’s tomb was discovered, a pot of honey was found in good condition. Eating honey is a natural way to get an energy boost due to mixture of simple sugars glucose and fructose and its variety of vitamins, essential minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. Study has shown that this works best in preventing fatigue while enhancing athletes performance. Among these “internal” benefits, honey is also an antimicrobial agent that can be used effectively on minor burns and scrapes to speed healing of the wounds. Now for the big fact: The humble honey bee is the only insect that produces food for humans! Now for a personal “funny” story for the mighty bee! In my early days of sailing and honing my skill at tweaking sails and capturing wind, I was quite proud of my “superior” sailing skills when heeling and cutting waves to compete in my first Regatta! Then from the corner of my eye as I’m enjoying this accomplishment, this humble bee effectively passed me at twice the speed I was sailing!