10/08/2024
SNIPES FARM FALL FEST | Ask Bee.a.trice O’Honey!
Arianna stopped by Snipes Farm Fall Fest and stopped by the Bee Corner in the Cider Barn! She was curious about honey and how bees actually make it!
Honey bees make honey to store as food to last them through the winter months. Unlike most bumblebees where the Queen hibernates underground, honey bees do not hibernate, and just like us, they need to eat!
Honey is typically made from nectar, the sweet liquid produced by flowers. A worker bee sucks up the nectar through a long, thin tube called a proboscis and keeps it in a special honey stomach, known as the crop. She can carry up to 80% of her weight in nectar. Inside the bee’s crop, enzymes are added, including one called invertase, this helps break down nectar’s complex sugars into simpler ones.
Once the worker returns to the hive, forager bees pass the nectar to receiver bees who pack the nectar into honeycomb cells. Next, they fan the nectar with their wings to encourage evaporation.
Nectar can be 70 to 80 per cent water. Evaporation reduces the water content to approximately 16- 18 %. The high concentration of sugar, ensures that bacteria and fungi can’t grow, meaning honey can be stored indefinitely without spoiling. Once at 16-18% moisture, the bees cover the cell with fresh beeswax to store until needed!
Thanks for your question Arianna! Stop by Snipes Farm & Education Center during Fall Fest and pick up a FREE jar of honey and Thanks for your great question!
Love, Bee.a.trice
