How Do Bees Make Honey?

One of the questions I get as a beekeeper is how do bees make honey?

I have never thought about it, and I know how to harvest honey and keep happy bees, but I am unsure about the science behind how do bees make honey. So I might research and learn as I write this.

Every day is a school day, especially concerning beekeeping, so let’s start looking at how bees make honey!

Collecting the Nectar

Did you know that making honey starts with finding nectar-producing flowers? Who better for the job than foraging worker bees? These bees have highly-sensitive antennae that allows them to detect nectar up to one and a half miles away! By visiting flowers at just the right time, these clever honey bees can collect the sweet liquid that will eventually become the delicious honey we know and love. (except me… I hate the taste of honey)

Honey bees are equipped with a proboscis, which is like a long straw that they use to suck up nectar from flowers and then store the nectar in a special pouch in their bodies called a ‘honey stomach.’ When the honey bees need energy while flying from flower to flower, they can release some of this nectar, which helps fuel their hard work. It’s incredible to think about how these tiny yet efficient creatures gather the necessary resources to keep their hives thriving!

Honeybees are incredible travellers and can venture up to five miles away from their hives in search of food, which is quite an impressive feat, especially as most people struggle to walk beyond their own driveways. Although, on average, honey bees tend to stick closer to home, with flights typically around 800 meters. When honey bees find a good source of nectar, they collect it and store it in their special pouch. Once full, they make the journey back to the hive with their precious cargo, ready to share the goodies with the rest of the colony. Honeybees are such a hardworking team.

Turning Nectar into Honey

Creating honey is a complex process that takes place inside the beehive. When the nectar is collected, the house bees step in and work their magic and the nectar is passed between them until it’s ready to be digested. This process takes around 30 minutes and involves a special enzyme called invertase. This powerful substance transforms the complex sugars in the nectar into two simpler ones: glucose and fructose. It’s incredible that these small worker bees have such an essential job in creating this sweet honey.

A hive is an incredible feat of teamwork and natural engineering, and as nectar from flowers passes from bee to bee, its moisture content decreases until it reaches a perfect 20%. When ready, the bees carry this honey-filled delicacy up to their top chambers (as beekeepers, we call these supers), where they deposit it into hexagonal cells created through exquisite artistry – hundreds of tiny drops are required per cell!

How do bees ripen the honey?

Working tirelessly and with an eye for detail, honey bees use their wings to create a warm breeze that dries the golden nectar into its finalised form. If too much water remains in this precious liquid, it will ferment – and if left unchecked, bacteria or fungi could contaminate the honey! Fortunately, these industrious insects have mastered precisely when is best to remove moisture from each batch they produce; truly remarkable from such tiny creatures!

Storing the honey away

Bees work hard to protect honey from spoiling by creating an airtight seal of wax around each comb cell. This clever technique gives them the ability to preserve its natural sweetness for future enjoyment!

Honeybees are masterful architects of their hive, creating a beautiful supply that sustains them through the winter. Not only do they devour honey for nourishment, but they also produce delightful ‘bee bread’ made from mixing honey and pollen to feed future generations!

Honey is not only a delicious spread but also an incredible feat of nature – and it’s all thanks to the hardworking honeybees! The next time you drizzle some on your toast, take a moment to appreciate these little creatures.

That’s how bees make honey

Bees are such fascinating creatures, and I have been keeping bees for 7 years (at the time of writing) and am always learning about these fascinating insects. 

In the height of summer, I am at my apiaries every 5 days to ensure the bees are all healthy and doing what I expect them to do, but invariably there are always questions, and I learn something new each week.

If you have ever thought about keeping bees and making your own honey, then I highly recommend it. Even though it will start as 1 hive, it becomes addictive, and you will end up like me with hives all over the local area.

I really hope you enjoyed reading about how bees make honey, and if you would like to see what we get up to throughout the year, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.