French beekeeper, Nicolas “Trainerbees”, has managed to train his bees to collect the resin from marijuana plants to make their honey. He gives this special product the name “cannahoney.”

Passion for training animals

Nicolas decided to make cannahoney due to personal experience and a passion for training animals. He has been hyperactive from a very young age which eventually led him to leave school. After experimenting with cannabis he says the plant helped him to channel the problem. Many years later friends, knowing his situation and his gift of training animals, suggested he should attempt to train the bees to use cannabis plants to make honey.

Beneficial properties of both marijuana and honey

Nicolas figured that the he would get a great result if he could unite the beneficial properties of both marijuana and honey. He says, “For some time I had known about the health benefits of bee products such as honey, propolis, pollen, wax, and royal jelly and also about the benefits of cannabis.”

EnzymesNicolas further explains that, “everything that passes through the body of a bee is improved.” This is because the bee’s enzymes make the nectar turn into honey. For instance when bees take the resin from willows and poplars it gets turned into propolis. Propolis is an antibiotic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic. It only made sense that if the bee took the resin from cannabis then it would also be beneficial. British Beekeepers Association

There were many skeptics that said that bees would not collect from cannabis since the plant doesn’t have any nectar. However, this is not really the case. For instance, Tim Lovett, director of public affairs at the British Beekeepers Association, said that it is possible to train bees to look for certain compounds. There was even a case in which bees were trained to stick out their tongues if they detected explosives.

Pollen and nectar

However, it is true that bees are generally attracted to flowers that are good producers of pollen and nectar and will exclude flowers that aren’t very rewarding. So, in nature bees are not attracted to cannabis in normal times because it is a wind-pollinated plant and doesn’t need nectar to entice insect pollinators. Nonetheless, during times that nectar-producing flowers are not available, cannabis flowers could be a source of pollen.

Study in India

There was a study done in India that revealed during a floral dearth period, when there are no nectar producing flowers, honey bees went to the male cannabis plants that were growing wild in the region to collect pollen.

male reproductive organs

The bees were only feeding on the male flowers during the mornings and evenings. This is due to anther dehiscence, the mechanism where the male reproductive organs release pollen. Another dehiscence only occurs during those times of the day. So, even in nature without training bees, it’s valid that bees are attracted to marijuana plants, but only during floral dearth periods, only if the plants are male, and only in the mornings and evenings.

Delicious and pleasant taste

To get back to Nicolas Trainerbees, he managed to get results from his training in 2013. He found that his bees used the resin as propolis and created honey with the same effects as cannabis. Nicolas says that the terpenes have a delicious and pleasant taste. He goes on to say that cannahoney normally has quite a floral aroma and a color that slightly changes depending on the varieties. Nicolas says that the bees accept any strain of cannabis and that he uses varieties of cannabis that he has created along with ones that already exist.

Cannabinoids

After two years of his project being well developed he was able to demonstrate that the plants didn’t have adverse effects on the insects. Nicolas says, “The bees that produce the cannahoney are not affected by cannabinoids because they do not have an endocannabinoid system”.

Natural cannabis edible

If cannahoney lives up to its potential then it could possibly be the first all natural cannabis edible. Imagine waking up to a cup of tea with a generous dose of cannahoney to start off the day.

Disclaimer: This content is meant for educational purposes only. It has been compiled with research from external sources. it is not meant to substitute any medical or legal advice. Please see your local laws for the legality of cannabis use.