In the week we remember the fallen, it was interesting to come across this little piece of amazing history...
Via: Historical Honeybee Articles - Beekeeping History
circa. 1943 - World War II era poster which highlights bees' vital role in national defense. The Ohio State University prepared this sign for placement in apiaries. - In an article written in 1942 during World War II, G.H. Cale quotes an official in the office of price administration who calculated that there are approximately 350 uses for beeswax in the navy and army and about 150 uses in the pharmaceutical field. Some of the uses were to waterproof canvas tents, belts, metal casings of bullets, cables and pulleys. In a Newsweek article, the War Food Administration urged beekeepers to conserve every bit of beeswax, as it was needed as a war product in 1942-43
Sources:
A History of Honey in Georgia and the Carolinas, 2015 Page 58
American Bee Journal, Page 315, 1943
It's incredible that it has taken so long from recognising the importance of bees during the war to protecting them for the good of the world.
