Honey, a sweet and thick food substance, is created by bees. This natural product begins as plant nectar or sometimes honeydew from insects, which bees then transform and store.
The Essential Purpose of Honey
Honey serves as the primary food source and energy reserve for bee colonies. It is fundamental for their survival, particularly during periods when nectar is scarce, such as colder months or droughts. Bees stockpile honey to ensure sustenance when foraging is not possible.
The high caloric density of honey provides the necessary energy for bees’ metabolic activities, including the flight muscles used during foraging. Its ability to be stored for long periods without spoiling offers a significant advantage for colony survival.
How Honey is Made
The creation of honey begins with worker bees collecting nectar from flowers, using their tongues to suck the liquid into a specialized “honey stomach” or crop. This honey stomach is distinct from their digestive stomach and acts as a storage pouch for the nectar. A single foraging bee can visit numerous flowers during one trip to fill its honey stomach.
Upon returning to the hive, the foraging bee regurgitates the nectar and passes it to other worker bees, known as house bees, in a process called trophallaxis. During this transfer, enzymes are added. A key enzyme, invertase, breaks down the complex sugar sucrose in nectar into simpler sugars: glucose and fructose.
The nectar, which initially has a high water content (around 70-80%), then undergoes a dehydration process within the hive. Bees spread the liquid into the cells of the honeycomb and vigorously fan their wings. This fanning creates air currents that evaporate excess water, reducing the moisture content to approximately 17-18%, which is crucial for preventing fermentation and ensuring the honey’s long-term preservation. Once the honey reaches the desired thick consistency, the bees cap the cells with a layer of beeswax, sealing it for storage.
Honey’s Crucial Functions in the Hive
Honey serves various functions within the bee colony. It provides sustenance for growing larvae, which are fed a mixture of pollen and honey, often referred to as “bee bread,” to support their development.
Adult worker bees consume honey to fuel their demanding activities, including foraging, hive construction, and maintaining the hive’s cleanliness. The queen bee, while primarily fed royal jelly, relies on the honey stores that sustain the worker bees who care for her and the brood.
During colder periods, honey plays a central role in maintaining the hive’s temperature. Bees cluster together and metabolize honey to generate heat, keeping the core of the cluster warm. This metabolic heat production is essential for the colony’s survival through winter months. Furthermore, bees consume honey to produce beeswax, the material used to build and repair the honeycomb structure. It takes a significant amount of honey to produce just one pound of beeswax.