Honey and Magical Honey
by RobinThere is a lot of on formation on honey and magical honey in my MMMClowlife pages 656 to 661
To say some things which are conflicting to the above suggestions
1) Bees produce honey based on the flowers the collect sugary nectar from to make honey
2) giant bees (1'long Queen/males 6' long) require large or giant flowers or other sources of honey to collect sugary nectar from to make honey
3) of course giant flowers are possible on Mystara, yet thus far they seem very limited to specific regions, while Giant Bees seem to propagate more in areas without such flowers. Other sources of Nectar or sweet liquids/sirup could be collected from trees bark (especially pine trees, yet Elven trees are suggested for convieniance and logic. Together this limits the giant be's collecting nectar to specific areas. Keep in mind, largr flowers do not normally produce much more nectar than smaller flowers, as flowers purely produce nectar purely as a reward for pollination, thus only small amounts and specific systems are required (ie large flowers for large insects, which does not constitute large amounts of nectar, only slightly more) to enforce pollination. keep in mind large or giant flowers are rare to say the least, asit requires plants enormous amounts to grow such a flowerm, while smaller flowers require minimal amounts. Even when large flowers woulsd exist, they would be rare and minimal, and possibly be attuned to the breeding cycle of giant bees).
4) Giant Bumblebees, Giant Bees, Stirges (??Yess, unbelievable as it might be Stirges produce honey as per Canon information) and many other insects produce honey as well using similar sources.
5) Honey is produced by fermenting the nectar (or other sweet sirup/lquid by adding saliva of the creature producing it, and the collecting it
6) honey is primarily used to feed the offspring, the hive and the queen.
7) as the Giant bee creates limited ammounts of honey (0.5 to 1.5 pint as per canon). which is roughly the same amount as with common bees. It can thus be decided that the source is roughly similar
8) the total mass of Giant bees in a hive is only roughly 4 times as that of a normal bee hive.
9) to collect bees (and other) require to also have access to wax in significant amounts. Wax is produced from a specific gland in any bee; and thus any other wax creating species. These amounts produced are only somewhat larger than normal bees, and the excess is used to build the few cells to grow offspring.
10) bees generally live only a single year (Males only the mating season, so less and queens up to 4 year). in winter only the last born survive, with the task keeping the queen alive, until spring and the cycle repeats.
11) larger amounts of honey than bees produce have larger liquid surfaces, enabling funghi to spread more easily. This is the main reason giant bees are so limited. Not only the require specific nectar sources, their food spoils easier, especially in Autumn. For game balance honey retrieved in those times might have lost the magical healing ability.
12) giant bees can kill in a single stroke, normal bees sting and warn, making any threat flee. The impact of losing a few or even single individual of the give is much greater with giant bees. It is one of the reasons they are rare.
13) honey is used currently in lots of creams, ointments, and this was done in earlier times as well. This should apply to Mystara as well. Iremember canon on ancient Nithian ointments./potions or similar containing honey. This can suggest that normal honey would have the same magical effects as Giant bee honey, yet requires less danger and lower quantities. However, easier to collect without extinguishing the hive. Even if the normal honey is not magical, it would be easy to apply Druidic/Elven/Clerical or even Mage magic on it adding a magical power of healing (for roughly the cost of a healing spell.
14) other plants, produce other nectar, making other honey, having other prices (see table in the MMMC. The amounts are the prices based on the rarity of said flowers. To add Giant flowers multiply these by 10...making Giant bee giant flower honey a lot more expensive
15) each honey looting death fallen by retrieval of honey would be added to the price...normally at least...
So all in all there are severe limitations hiving giant bees, while common bees might produce honey wich enables (with added magic) similar effects.