Believe it or not, I was able to brush the bees off and cover the hive without getting a single bee sting. I've since been stung several times, but thankfully I've not had any more allergic reactions. The rewards of beekeeping are many. Because people have been keeping bees and gathering honey for centuries, the honeybee is one the most studied insects in the world. People have found uses for almost everything a bee produces.
Bees also gather resin from other trees to seal their hives with.
This substance called propolis has been sold as an herbal supplement. The queen bee is fed a special diet of Royal Jelly, which is also harvested and sold as a supplement. The list goes on. The wax honeycomb bees produce has multiple uses. The bees use the cells in the honeycomb to raise larvae, to store pollen, and to store honey.