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fandomhigh2015-04-09 05:41 am
glacial_queen) wrote in fandomhigh2015-04-09 05:41 am
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History of Poisons, Thursday Per 2
The class would be grateful that today's class was in the Danger Shop today, at least once they saw their teacher sporting the very latest fashion. In bee keeping attire, anyway. Blue, of course, because why have a color scheme if you didn't keep to it?
"Kiss kiss," she said when they arrived. "You're all relatively smart, I'm pretty sure that you can guess what we'll be learning about today." On the off-chance her clothing didn't give it away, the low done of bees coming from nearby should provide that last, needed clue. "Some of you might even be confused, because, traditionally, honey has been considered incredibly healthy, with useful in closing wounds, treating burns, easing coughs, helping with respiratory illnesses, even treating cancer. Modern medicine has trouble proving efficacy under laboratory settings, but many of Kaeleeran healing tonics and salves use honey as a base or a major ingredient. However, even honey has a dark side."
Turning around, she led the class further into the inside, where multiple Langstroth hives sat; small, blocky box towers humming with bee activity. Around the hives were multiple flowering bushes and shrubs, many of which the students would recognize from previous classes. There were also enough bee suits on a nearby table for each student, on the off-chance they thought this was going to be a lecture-only class.
"First of all, raw honey should never be given to infants and people with suppressed or compromised auto-immune disorders," she said. "Many types of bacterial and fungal spores can be found in raw honey which present no problems to people with healthy immune systems, but can be dangerous or even fatal to those without. Most doctors suggest waiting until a child is at least a year old before introducing raw honey and it's benefits. Of course, that's not what we're going to talk about today. There's also a naturally occurring phenomenon called toxic honey, which is what happens when honey made from certain plants is eaten by humans. The plants have no affect on bees or bee larvae, but to humans they can call hallucinations, paralysis, sickness, even death. There's extensive historical record of people falling prey to toxic honey. While some, like honey made from evergreen yew or wolfsbane look, smell, or taste unpleasant, most toxic honey is indistinguishable from honey made from non-poisonous blossoms."
"Now, bees, for all that they are industrious workers, aren't going to go further for pollen than they have to," Karla continued. "Most beekeepers place their hives in the middle of fields of plants that will have no ill-effects. Even a single rhododendron plant in a field of daisies isn't going to affect anyone, as there won't be enough poison present in the honey to harm anyone. But beekeepers who don't know about the local flora can end up with toxic honey if they set their hives near a stand of, say, belladonna plants, mountain laurel, or azaleas. And then there are the beekeepers who deliberately set their hives there in order to facilitate the production of toxic honey." She grinned at them. "Now get suited up. Today, we're learning to harvest hives of honey."
"Kiss kiss," she said when they arrived. "You're all relatively smart, I'm pretty sure that you can guess what we'll be learning about today." On the off-chance her clothing didn't give it away, the low done of bees coming from nearby should provide that last, needed clue. "Some of you might even be confused, because, traditionally, honey has been considered incredibly healthy, with useful in closing wounds, treating burns, easing coughs, helping with respiratory illnesses, even treating cancer. Modern medicine has trouble proving efficacy under laboratory settings, but many of Kaeleeran healing tonics and salves use honey as a base or a major ingredient. However, even honey has a dark side."
Turning around, she led the class further into the inside, where multiple Langstroth hives sat; small, blocky box towers humming with bee activity. Around the hives were multiple flowering bushes and shrubs, many of which the students would recognize from previous classes. There were also enough bee suits on a nearby table for each student, on the off-chance they thought this was going to be a lecture-only class.
"First of all, raw honey should never be given to infants and people with suppressed or compromised auto-immune disorders," she said. "Many types of bacterial and fungal spores can be found in raw honey which present no problems to people with healthy immune systems, but can be dangerous or even fatal to those without. Most doctors suggest waiting until a child is at least a year old before introducing raw honey and it's benefits. Of course, that's not what we're going to talk about today. There's also a naturally occurring phenomenon called toxic honey, which is what happens when honey made from certain plants is eaten by humans. The plants have no affect on bees or bee larvae, but to humans they can call hallucinations, paralysis, sickness, even death. There's extensive historical record of people falling prey to toxic honey. While some, like honey made from evergreen yew or wolfsbane look, smell, or taste unpleasant, most toxic honey is indistinguishable from honey made from non-poisonous blossoms."
"Now, bees, for all that they are industrious workers, aren't going to go further for pollen than they have to," Karla continued. "Most beekeepers place their hives in the middle of fields of plants that will have no ill-effects. Even a single rhododendron plant in a field of daisies isn't going to affect anyone, as there won't be enough poison present in the honey to harm anyone. But beekeepers who don't know about the local flora can end up with toxic honey if they set their hives near a stand of, say, belladonna plants, mountain laurel, or azaleas. And then there are the beekeepers who deliberately set their hives there in order to facilitate the production of toxic honey." She grinned at them. "Now get suited up. Today, we're learning to harvest hives of honey."
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Listen to the Lecture
And, of course, honey-based refreshments to be had. Tea, with honey to mix in. Honey-cakes. Candied walnuts.
Mmm, delicious!
Harvest the Honey
Smoke the hive, open it up, grab a frame filled with wax-capped honey, get the bees off with a bee brush, and then place the frame into a sealed container to keep bees from landing on it again. The repeat.
Process the Honey
Compete!
NPCstores in town for the winner.Talk to the TA
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Talk to the Teacher
OOC
According to the RNG, people will be done filling up their jars in this order:
Mara
Karina
Isabelle
Cassandra
Anders
Kaylin