How Do Bees Make Honey? Plus Other Interesting Honey Facts

The honey bee has a very important job. They make delicious honey for us to eat, and honey bees help farmers by pollinating their plants. There is a huge environmental need for honey bees across the entire world. Many farmers are actually worried about the honey bee population which has caused them to urge the government to do something about it. The process of making honey is a long process and it does involve a lot of work for the bees. Bees basically live to make honey and beeswax. The honey bees also work hard to protect their precious honey by guarding their bee hive. If you ever see a bee hive it's always best to steer clear of it. Never ever touch a bee hive because the bees will gang up and attack you in order to guard the precious honey and their queen bee. If a bee hive shows up in a place where it shouldn't be such as a tree in a restaurant parking lot you need to call animal control so that they can move to the hive to a safer location using protective gear.

Every honey been has a very specific role within their colony. Some of the bees stay in or around the hive to care for the queen and perform other tasks to keep things in order. These bees also stay and wait for the worker bees to arrive so that they can assist them right away. The bees work as a team to get the job done. The worker bees are required to leave the hive and collect nectar and pollen from flowers they find. These worker bees spend a good portion of the day looking for flowers to pollinate. The bees drink up the nectar and store it for later. The worker bees will then return to the hive where they will then take the pollen and nectar to combine it with their own natural enzymes. The other bees wait at the hive ready to help the worker bees and relieve them of their load. They relieve them by doing an even mouth to mouth exchange of the nectar collected. The bees will then work together to remove the water from the combined nectar and enzyme solution that they've created. They basically "throw up" the ingredients. The honey is then stored in the honey comb of the hive and the bees close the honey mixture into a space with their own beeswax.

Honey and Your Health

Some people think that honey is very beneficial to our health. While this is true to a certain extent because of the nutrients found in honey. However, whether it is truly good for you or not depends on how the honey was manufactured. Honey that is heated up loses nutritional value and turns into pure sugar. If you want to add honey to your diet simply for the health benefits buy local raw honey. Raw honey contains very beneficial enzymes, and other nutrients.

Children and Honey

Children under the age of 12 months old should never be given honey because it could cause them to develop botulism. According to Pediatrician Dr. Jay Hoecker, "honey is a source for bacterial spores which can create a toxin that affects infants resulting in botulism." Botulism is serious in babies because it can lead to severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing, persistent constipation, lethargy and even death. Dr. Greene says that the toxin known as botulinum is one of the most poisonous substances on the entire planet. So always use caution and never allow a child to eat honey raw or processed until they reach a certain age.