How Do Bees Make Honey?

As I am always writting solely about royal jelly I think it is time to spend some time to write something about honey, the other amazing substance produced with the help of bees.

So let us get to the point.

Nectar and Pollen are the two things that a Honey Bee carries along with them from flowers. Out of which, Nectar is the one used for honey production. It is interesting to know that honey bees have two stomachs: Honey stomach and the Digestive Stomach.

As the Honey Bee sucks nectar, it is stored in the special honey stomach also known as "nectar backpack”. A small valve connects the Digestive stomach with the Honey stomach, which a bee can open to pass some honey to digestive stomach to satisfy its’ own hunger. After visiting around 150 - 500 flowers, the honey stomach reaches its threshold and then it's time for the laborious worker bee to return to the hive.

Nectar returned to hive at this stage of time is hardly recognizable as honey. Initially it's nearly 80% water and other 20% primarily constitute of complex sugar.

Once the worker bee returns to hive, a mouth to mouth transfer of nectar is done between a worker bee and hive bees. The recipient bees process the Nectar in its mouth by adding several enzymes. After processing, the complex sugar molecules breaks down into simple sugar molecules and results in small droplets being deposited on the upper side of the a cell wall, that are finally converted by viscous Honey.

This conversion is an evaporation process initiated by the warm temperature (95 degrees F) maintained inside the hive and the motion of air across the honey combs. Even the bees control the movement of air by fanning their wings in a coordinated effort. Even at night time you can hear some buzzing sound coming from a hive; it's due to this "forced evaporation" process.

And, finally the end result is the thick, viscous Honey!!