Bees are crucial to our ecosystem, and to our very quality of life. Bees are some of the hardest working beings on Earth. Ever heard the phrase "busy as a bee"? Bees play an essential role as pollinators facilitating the reproduction of many crops, wild flora and biodiversity that humans and wildlife depend on to survive. One third of the world's crop production depends on pollinators.  In addition to the crucial role the bees play in food, honey bees produce tangible goods such as honey, wax, and propolis. Wax and propolis are used in an array of home goods such as candles, cosmetics, and health products.   

Bees have been significant to humans for a long time. An 8,000-year-old rock painting discovered at Arana Cave near Valencia, Spain, depicts a person climbing a ladder to gather honey from a hive on a cliff face. Bees were sacred to the Egyptians and held great religious and spiritual significance.  In ancient Greece, bees were believed to be the messengers of the gods. Beeswax has been found in stone age pottery likely serving the purpose of a a glue or film that might have been used to coat and waterproof the inside of pottery.

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