FOXWORTH, Miss.–If you needed a reason to buy local honey, here are two: It tastes good, and it may be good for cutting down on allergy attacks. You can relate if you get the sneezes and sniffles. Ask your mama or your grandma, and either one may tell you that honey cuts down on allergy attacks.
Someone else you can ask is D.L. Wesley of Foxworth.
“Honey’s good for your allergies. Buy it locally,” he said. Wesley said he believes the key is cross pollination. “Let me explain locally. From Interstate 20 to the coast is where the same plants bloom. Popcorn trees, blackberries. North Mississippi, you’ve got that plus cotton, soybeans and other crops that don’t grow in south Mississippi.”
Though there have never been conclusive studies that prove honey fights allergies effectively, Wesley believes it has been a part of conventional wisdom for a long time.
He operates about 40 hives and considers it a hobby.
“Some of your commercial people has got 3,000 to 5,000.”
He said there are around 85,000 bees in a strong hive.
“Once you learn how to handle the ladies, it’s no problem. You’ve got to be kind to the bees and sing to the bees.”
But, people News Mississippi spoke with, even though they know about the allergy remedy, believe there’s a better reason to buy it. It tastes good.
“It tastes better than store-bought honey,” said one lady. “It comes out thinner.”
