How honey is made and how it is obtained
Bees produce honey by processing various plant substances such as pollen and nectar. Let's explain:
Honey is a sweet food produced by bees with the nectar of flowers. The variety produced by honey bees (genus Apis mellifera) is the one most commonly referred to. Bees are the only animals that produce edible food for us humans as well.
For the honey production the worker bees carry out an incessant and careful work consisting of several phases, such as:
- Search for nectar sources;
- Processing of the collected substances;
- Ventilation;
Honey is used by bees as a food supply to feed the colony. Bees transform collected nectar and pollen and ensure that these substances remain intact for years.
Let's find out more about honey production by bees, what the role of the beekeeper is and what are the beneficial properties of this substance.
The work of bees for honey production
For the production of honey, bees undertake a long and constant work. The first phase involves what are the explorer bees . This specific category of worker bees explores the areas located near the hive in search of nectar plants . When the bees have found a source of food, they return to the hive and communicate the exact location of the place to go to the rest of the swarm.
To share the exact location of the food source, bees are able to communicate with each other through special circular flights defined as the "bee dance".
At this point the foraging bees go to the indicated place and make numerous round trips to the hive carrying a large quantity of nectar and pollen taken from flowers and plants along the way.
After collecting the raw materials, the processing of the substances begins, which will transform the collected material into honey. But how exactly do bees go about getting honey? Bees mix the collected substances with some enzymes contained in their saliva and then regurgitate the compound.
While it may seem strange to you, this is how honey is made! Before the honey reaches its final state, however, the bees need to eliminate the moisture present inside.
During this phase the bees apply a ventilation process by standing around the honey and moving their wings at the same time. The heat produced is able to evaporate the water present in the substance. Since honey has a very low percentage of humidity, it is able to keep intact for years without decomposing! In this way the colonies can always have food supplies available.
What beneficial substances are contained in honey?
Honey is a substance highly appreciated by humans. In addition to its function as a natural sweetener, honey is also used for other purposes thanks to its numerous beneficial properties.
Honey is almost entirely made up of sugars such as fructose, glucose and sucrose but also contains numerous vitamins, amino acids and mineral salts.
This substance is widely used as a natural antibiotic due to its effective antibacterial and antiseptic properties.
Honey also has important soothing properties and prepares tissue healing through a healing action.
The honey extraction process adopted by beekeepers
Beekeeping is the practice of raising bees. Beekeepers protect the health and development of the colonies and, in return, obtain the honey that bees produce. Beekeepers provide bees with an optimal environment in which to thrive.
It should be noted that the work of beekeepers is carried out in complete symbiosis with bees. Breeders take only a small part of honey (about one third) while the rest is left for the swarms to stock up on food for the winter.
Beekeepers harvest and obtain honey through a process called honey extraction.
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