Honey bees have an incredible process for turning the nectar of flowers into the golden honey we enjoy. One important detail: bees make honey primarily from nectar, not pollen. Pollen provides protein and nutrients that help feed and develop the colony.
Here's how the process works, step by step.
1. Collecting nectar from flowers
Worker bees fly from flower to flower, using their long tongues to drink sugary nectar. They store it in a special internal organ called the honey stomach, which is separate from their digestive stomach.
2. Gathering pollen
As bees visit flowers, pollen grains stick to their fuzzy bodies. They groom the pollen onto their hind legs, packing it into special structures called pollen baskets. They carry this pollen back to the hive to feed developing larvae and nourish young bees.
3. Bringing nectar back to the hive
Once a forager bee returns, it transfers nectar to other worker bees. These bees process the nectar using enzymes that begin breaking down complex sugars into simpler sugars.
4. Removing excess moisture
Fresh nectar contains a lot of water. Bees spread it into the tiny hexagonal cells of the honeycomb and fan their wings to circulate air. This helps evaporate water until the nectar becomes thick, concentrated honey.
5. Sealing the honeycomb
When the honey is sufficiently ripe, bees seal the cells with thin layers of beeswax. This protects the honey and allows the colony to store it for future use, especially during winter or when flowers are scarce.
How much work goes into one jar of honey?
Thousands of flower visits: Bees make many trips and visit enormous numbers of flowers to gather enough nectar for a colony.
About 2 million flower visits: A commonly cited estimate for producing one pound of honey is roughly this many visits, although the actual number varies with flower type and nectar availability.
Around 12 worker bees: It takes the lifetime nectar-gathering work of approximately 12 worker bees to produce a teaspoon of honey, depending on conditions and the estimate used.
A team effort: Foragers collect nectar, hive bees process it, other workers maintain the hive, and the colony stores its honey for survival.