How is honey made?

You know a thing or two about honey, don't you? You've probably already tasted it, and enjoyed its many benefits. It's probably even one of your favorite toppings when spread on freshly baked bread. Or a good homemade crêpe! But do you know what goes into making honey, that famous beehive product we love so much? We tell you all about it in this article. Once upon a time, there was a beehive..

You know a thing or two about honey, don't you? You've probably already tasted it, and enjoyed its many benefits. It's probably even one of your favorite toppings when spread on freshly baked bread. Or a good homemade pancake! But do you know what goes into making honey, that famous beehive product we love so much? We tell you all about it in this article. Once upon a time, there was a beehive..

Introducing

Before telling you how honey is made, we need to start at the beginning. The hive. Because that's where it all happens. The beehive is often compared to a big business, and with good reason! Bees live in a colony, with a single common goal: to keep the colony going. Their hive is therefore organized according to their needs. There are vertical combs in which the bees build cells, called alveoli. These are made from 90% wax and 10% pollen and propolis. Frame organization The different frames in the hive are also organized in a very specific way:

• The end frames contain the hive's reserves, honey and pollen.
• The middle frame houses the queen, and the broods for the future workers

On bee farms, some of these frames are intended for the beekeeper. But it's essential to leave sufficient reserves for the colony to prosper serenely, and for honey to be made.

Well-defined professions

The rhythm of the hive is set by the comings and goings of the bees. This super-organism is made up of a single queen, several workers, broods and male drones.

• The queen: certain larvae are chosen to become queens. They are fed only royal jelly, which explains why they are much larger and live longer than other bees. The queen is the bee who not only generates the colony, but also maintains its cohesion.
• The workers: they are the inexhaustible workers of the hive. They can fulfill up to 7 different roles: Feeders, cleaners, architects, foragers, ventilators, guardians and handlers. The life expectancy of worker bees depends on when they are born. In summer, for example, worker bees live between 30 and 45 days. This compares with several months for workers born at the end of summer, who are responsible for the colony's survival over winter. These are the workers who will be used to make honey.
• Broods: these are the cells that will house the queen's eggs. These then transform into larvae, nymphs and imago (final stage).
• Drones: can be recognized by their much larger size than other bees. Their role is very limited: they don't make honey, can't defend the hive because they don't sting, and serve only to reproduce with the queen.

Honey production

Collecting nectar Honey production is one of the two main tasks of worker bees, along with colony maintenance. Foraging bees begin by searching for sources of nectar that meet their needs. They may settle on a particular variety (such as thyme, orange blossom or lavender), and this will produce what's known as monofloral honey. Or they can gather nectar from several plant varieties, which is called polyfloral honey (for example, flower honey, spring honey, forest honey or mountain honey). Bees use their proboscis to gather nectar from melliferous flowers, helping to pollinate them. That's how important bees are! They can also gather honeydew from certain leaves (e.g. fir trees). They store the nectar in their crop, then carry it back to the hive. Along the way, the bee will have collected a good quantity of pollen. These balls of pollen are then brought back to the hive, where they are used primarily to feed the bees.

Back to the hive

Once the forager has returned to the hive, she mixes the nectar and honeydew she has collected with her saliva. She then passes this mixture to another bee, who performs the same action in her own crop, before passing it on to another bee. At last, you get the idea! The incredible honey-making process begins ! The nectar begins to transform, but it's not over yet... The mixture of nectar and saliva is then deposited in the honeycomb. Then the fanning bees enter the scene! They shake their wings to evaporate the excess water contained in the mixture. Once the cells have been filled, they are sealed. The honey-making process is then complete.

Some incredible facts!

• Bees use very specific dances to communicate with each other. Foraging bees returning to the hive can then give crucial information to other bees: in particular, the direction they need to take to find the flowers to forage, and the exact distance!
• A single hive produces an estimated 20kg of honey a year
• For 500g of honey, a bee can make up to 17,000 journeys, representing over 7,000 hours of work.

Knowing these figures gives us an idea of the titanic work of bees and their incredible role in honey production. Honey and an infinite number of possibilities Honey is an incredible product of the beehive which, in addition to its countless benefits, offers us a wide range of uses. Honey can be used to make honey lollipops and honey candies, and is an ingredient in many recipes such as homemade amlou. It's also a super food, used in aphrodisiacs and dietary supplements of choice! Of course, honey is also great when eaten pure! Nigella honey, euphorbia honey, moringa honey or eucalyptus honey, the varieties of honey are as numerous as they are delicious!