Honey is produced by bees who have collected nectar or honeydew. Bees value honey for its sugars, which they consume to support general metabolic activity, especially that of their flight muscles during foraging, and as a food for their larvae. To this end bees stockpile honey to provide for themselves during ordinary foraging as well as during lean periods, as in overwintering.[13][14] During foraging bees use part of the nectar they collect to power their flight muscles. The majority of nectar collected is not used to directly nourish the insects but is instead destined for regurgitation, enzymatic digestion, and finally long-term storage as honey.
2. Introduction
• Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the
best-known of which are honey bees.[1][2] Honey is made and stored
to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then
refining the sugary secretions of plants (primarily floral nectar) or the
secretions of other insects, like the honeydew of aphids. This
refinement takes place both within individual bees, through
regurgitation and enzymatic activity, and during storage in the hive,
through water evaporation that concentrates the honey’s sugars until
it is thick and viscous.
![Introduction
• Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the
best-known of which are honey bees.[1][2] Honey is made and stored
to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then
refining the sugary secretions of plants (primarily floral nectar) or the
secretions of other insects, like the honeydew of aphids. This
refinement takes place both within individual bees, through
regurgitation and enzymatic activity, and during storage in the hive,
through water evaporation that concentrates the honey’s sugars until
it is thick and viscous.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)