Among continents, European countries sold the highest dollar worth of natural honey exported during 2019 with shipments amounting to $838.6 million or 42.1% of overall international honey sales. That percentage compares with 24.4% from Asian exporters, 13.5% from Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and 13.4% from Oceania (mostly New Zealand and Australia). Smaller percentages came North America (6%) and Africa (0.5%).
Honey is also known as a supersaturated sugar solution. Natural honey is composed of 82.4% carbohydrates, 38.5% fructose, 31% glucose, 12.9% other sugars, 17.1% water, 0.5% protein, organic acids, multiminerals, amino acids, vitamins, phenols, and a myriad of other minor compounds.
Apitherapy is an alternate therapy that relies on the usage of honeybee products, most importantly bee venom for the treatment of many human diseases. The venom can be introduced into the human body by manual injection or by direct bee stings.