What Is Honey?

Honey is one of the most valuable gifts of nature. It has been around for thousands of years and every civilization has revered it for its medicinal, nutritional, and cosmetic benefits to humans. It has had a lot of religious and cultural significance owing to its properties. It also has the unique and priceless property of boosting the actions of the medical drugs it is combined with. While bee’s honey functions as a rejuvenator due to its antioxidant characteristics, it is also used as a moisturizer and conditioner in beauty culture.

Did you know?

To make one pound of honey, the bees in the colony must visit upto 2 million flowers

How do Bees make Honey?

Honey bees extract nectar from flowers using their long tube-like tongues. It is then stored in the crop or the extra stomach of bees. The nectar mixes with enzymes in the crop, which changes its chemical structure & pH level, making it suitable for long-term use.
When a honeybee returns to the hive, it regurgitates the nectar into another bee’s mouth, which then passes it on. The regurgitation act continues until the partially digested nectar is finally deposited in the honeycomb.

Once in the comb, the honey is still like a viscous liquid, not like the thick honey we enjoy. So the bees get to work again & start fanning the comb with their wings to evaporate excess water from the liquid.

When most of the water evaporates, bees seal the honeycomb with a secretion from their bodies, which eventually hardens into beeswax and helps store the honey for a longer time. This provides a food source to bees during the winter months.

Humans and many animals, such as bears, have relished honey for its sweetness and taste. Honey was used as the main sweetener for centuries until sugar became widely available.
Honey comes in a wide range of colors, tastes, and textures. which is largely dependent on the type of flower it collects nectar from.