How Bees Make Honey
Honey is one of the oldest and most valuable foods known to man, appreciated for its unique taste and its nutritional and medicinal properties. Few, however, know the complex and extraordinary process by which bees produce it. How and why do bees produce honey and how is honey processed? These are just some of the many questions everyone asks because this natural process has always fascinated and intrigued with its precision. Precious and hardworking bees, experience, and the right beekeeping equipment are certainly needed for the production and extraction of this natural marvel. Let's look in detail at how bees make honey, following the most important stages of a laborious and lengthy process.
Bees' Work to Produce Honey
Honey is a sweet substance used both at the table and for its healing properties, and it is produced by bees following some precise stages. However, the most important stage is the initial one, performed precisely by these pollinating insects. Bees suck the nectar, which is the sugary liquid secreted by flowers to attract them. To do this, they use their proboscis and deposit it into their honey sac, located in their stomach, where the nectar is not digested but simply stored to be used when food is scarce. Once at the hive, the foraging bee passes the nectar to the other bees before it is placed in the hexagonal wax cells that most people know.
At this point, trophallaxis occurs, which is the stage where the nectar is enriched and transformed into honey as it passes between the many bees in the hive. It is then placed in the cells, but it is still a very liquid honey that is dried overnight thanks to the warm, dry air produced by the bees fanning their wings. When the honey reaches an optimal consistency and a water content of less than 20%, the small insects seal the cells with a thin layer of beeswax. How long does it take for bees to produce honey? Simple, the time of the process we have just explained, so, approximately one week to fill a honey super, a wooden structure that contains other small frames where the bees deposit the honey. That's how bees make honey!
Honey Extraction
Once the bees have completed their important role, humans begin the work of extracting the honey. The extraction process can only begin when all the cells are sealed with the wax layer, which means the bees' process is truly complete. The honey super is removed from the hive and taken to a laboratory to proceed with the actual honey extraction. Special extractors are used for this. The honey extracted with these tools is then filtered and transferred to settling tanks, where it is left to decant.
In this way, air incorporated during centrifugation and any foreign materials, such as bee parts or wax residues, rise to the surface and are then removed. Why doesn't the beekeeper remove all the honey produced from the hive? Simple, because that honey is a food reserve for the bees, which will be used when food is scarce. The beekeeper only takes the honey from the supers without harming either the bees or their reserves. At this point, the honey is ready and can move on to the final stages where packaging and wrapping are important.
And the Pollen?
Often, when we think about the honey production process, the role of pollen comes to mind, because it is of fundamental importance. What is pollen used for by bees? How do bees turn pollen into honey? These are questions we often ask ourselves, but the answers experts give are simple. From flowers, bees take nectar and pollen. With nectar, as we have seen, they produce honey; pollen, on the other hand, is the precious protein substance that allows reproduction and growth within the hive. On Vivi in Campagna, you can find all the useful tools for all stages of honey production and extraction, and you can also contact us, by phone or email, for more information on our products.
