Honey is a sweet food made by bees from nectar and has been consumed by humans for over 10,000 years. Bees collect nectar and transform it into honey to use as a food source, and people harvest excess honey by keeping bees in artificial hives. Honey has many uses as a sweetener, flavoring, and ingredient in foods and beverages, as well as traditional medicines and religious practices. The pollen in raw honey can also provide environmental information about an area.