John Bellairs Wiki
John Bellairs Wiki

A bee is an insect witnessed by Hamish Runcet, who grows disgusted as the the insect's pollen collection and therefore believes it to be unclean (Saint Fidgeta and Other Parodies, 102).

Sir Bertram Crabtree-Gore listens to these insects' fizzing after entering the Flapping Forest (The Pedant and the Shuffly, 17).

Inspiration[]

Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their role in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the European honey bee, for producing honey and beeswax[1].

Beeswax is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus Apis. The wax is formed into "scales" by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, who discard it in or at the hive. The hive workers collect and use it to form cells for honey-storage and larval and pupal protection within the beehive. Chemically, beeswax consists mainly of esters of fatty acids and various long-chain alcohols[2].

In Judaism, the concept of "unclean animals", or more accurately "impure animals", plays a prominent role in the Kashrut, the part of Jewish law that specifies which foods are allowed (kosher) or forbidden to Jews.  The Torah allows eating certain kinds of "winged swarming things" (i.e. insects) while prohibiting others. However, due to uncertainty about the Hebrew insect names, rabbis today recommend that all insects be considered unclean.  Bees' honey is considered kosher because the honey is not a product made of bees[3].

References[]

  1. Wikipedia: Bee
  2. Wikipedia: Beeswax
  3. Wikipedia: Unclean animal