Why do you have to wash the jar of honey well before throwing it away?

In France, for the past thirty years, bee populations have been declining. This phenomenon is due to the Asian hornets present on the territory which feed on our bees, and to the intensive use of phytosanitary products which poison them by weakening their immune defences, which thus favors parasitic infections.

But another danger threatens these pollinating insects essential to the balance of the ecosystem: American foulbrood.

Paenibacillus larvae

Caused by bacteria called Paenibacillus larvae, it is a very dangerous and very contagious disease affecting the “brood”, which is all the nymphs, larvae and eggs protected by bee workers.

American foulbrood primarily attacks larvae to gradually spread to all members of the hive.

Although harmless to humans, it grows strongly in honey and some jars, especially those containing imported honey, can become contaminated and infect an entire colony.

In fact, spores – in biology, a spore is a cell which constitutes one of the stages in the life cycle of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi – of American foulbrood are often found in the remains of honey.

Hot water and washing up liquid

Thus, a seemingly innocuous gesture such as throwing away a jar of honey without first washing it can have disastrous consequences for the health of bees.

As a preventive measure and even if it is difficult to know if a pot is contaminated, it is preferable to clean honey containers, whether they are plastic or glass, with hot water and washing-up liquid to eliminate the residues.

If the honey residues persist after a first cleaning by hand and with dishwashing liquid, you can use coarse salt whose cleaning and descaling properties are very effective.