Even the Bee's Had a Runner-Up in our Scholarship

"The Bee's Knees" Did You Know?

By Sarah Cannon

"Well ain't that just the bee's knees?!" is a phrase originating from the 1920's that my Grandpa use to say. He explained to me one day that it simply meant that an object was at its 'height of excellence.' The phrase still didn't make that much sense to me-I mean, who really knows if bees have good knees or not? I decided to research these special little critters, just for curiosity's sake.

I came across all sorts of neat information: the wing size-to-body weight ratio shouldn't allow bees to fly; bees have five eyes; and interestingly, only females are worker bees (which makes me ponder the whole "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" theory and its relationship to every aggravated bee that's ever stung me.)...Anyways. I discovered that the worker bees carry back pollen to the hive on sacs behind their knees. This new found knowledge pieced the phrase together for me. It's no surprise hearing that bees make honey from the pollen they collect, and in my opinion, honey is the height of excellence. It's useful as a healthy sweetener for my tea, a delicious substitute for syrup on my pancakes, and if you've ever had a peanut butter and honey sandwich, you'll fully grasp my honey appreciation. But aside from all that honey is used in a lot of natural products, products that can be found at Red Hill General Store.

Burt's Bees is a brand that focuses on creating body care products that are made with natural ingredients. For example, the Milk and Honey Body Lotion, Honey Lip Balm, and the Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey and Bilberry Foot Creme are a few of the popular beauty products in the Burt's Bees line. And no worries, if honey isn't your thing, Burt's has tons of honey-free products to choose from (and they're still the bee's knees too!).