Bees are a diverse group of insects. While many associate them with honey production, only a small fraction of the over 20,000 bee species worldwide produce honey for human consumption. Significant honey storage is a specialized trait found in certain social bee species. Understanding which bees make honey and which do not reveals their varied ecological roles.
The European Honey Bee
The European honey bee, Apis mellifera, is the primary honey producer globally and the main species managed by beekeepers. These eusocial insects live in highly organized colonies, housing tens of thousands of individuals, including a single fertile queen, numerous non-reproductive female workers, and a smaller proportion of male drones. Their complex social structure allows for efficient division of labor, with workers performing tasks like cleaning, brood care, hive maintenance, and foraging.
European honey bees are native to Europe, western Asia, and Africa, but human introduction has spread them across nearly all continents. Their perennial colonies, that persist year after year, necessitate the storage of large quantities of honey to sustain them through colder months when foraging is not possible. Their large honey volume and adaptability make Apis mellifera central to commercial honey production.
Other Honey-Producing Bees
While Apis mellifera dominates global honey production, other species within the Apis genus also produce honey. These include various Asian honey bee species, such as Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, and Apis florea. They are found in specific regional habitats across Asia.
Their honey production often occurs on a smaller scale compared to the European honey bee. These species also exhibit social structures, but their colony sizes or foraging behaviors may differ, leading to smaller honey yields.
Bees That Do Not Make Honey
Most bee species do not produce honey in quantities consumable by humans. Solitary bees, which make up over 90% of bee species, do not live in colonies, have no queen, and do not store honey. Examples include mason bees (Osmia species) and leafcutter bees (Megachile species). Each female builds her own nest, provisioning it with pollen and nectar for her offspring, rather than creating communal food stores.
Bumblebees (Bombus species) are social bees, but their colonies are annual and much smaller than honey bee colonies, typically maxing out at around 250 individuals. They produce a small amount of honey to feed their larvae and sustain the queen for short periods, but it is not dehydrated like honey bee honey and is consumed quickly. Carpenter bees (Xylocopa species) also do not produce honey. These bees carve tunnels into wood for nesting and primarily gather nectar and pollen for immediate energy and to provision their young.
These non-honey-producing bees, despite not contributing to our honey supply, are important pollinators. Many solitary bees are more efficient at pollinating certain plants than honey bees due to their foraging behaviors, such as “buzz pollination” or their method of carrying pollen loosely on their bodies. They play diverse and significant roles in maintaining ecosystems and supporting agricultural crops.
The Process of Honey Production
Honey production begins with worker bees collecting nectar from flowering plants, drawing it up with their straw-like proboscis and storing it in a specialized organ called the honey stomach, or honey sac. As the bee flies back to the hive, enzymes, such as invertase, are added to the nectar in the honey stomach, initiating the breakdown of complex sugars like sucrose into simpler sugars, glucose and fructose. This enzymatic action prevents fermentation and is necessary for honey formation.
Upon returning to the hive, the foraging bee regurgitates the nectar, passing it to other house bees through a process of mouth-to-mouth transfer. This transfer continues among several bees, further reducing the nectar’s water content and adding more enzymes. The processed nectar is then deposited into hexagonal wax cells within the honeycomb.
The final stage involves evaporation and ripening. Bees rapidly fan their wings over the open cells, creating airflow that removes excess moisture from the nectar. Nectar, which starts with a water content of around 70-80%, is reduced to about 17-18% in the finished honey. Once the honey reaches the appropriate consistency and moisture level, the bees cap the cells with a thin layer of beeswax, sealing and preserving the honey for future consumption.