Sweet honey has been a source of food for thousands of years. Let’s get acquainted with the bees that produce them.
Clear Winged Insect
In the grouping of the faunal world, honey bees belong to the order Hymenoptera. In this order, there are thousands of species of clear-winged insects including bees, wasps, and ants. Well, of the thousands of species, only 7 are known to produce honey. One of the famous bee species is Apis mellifera. This bee, whose body color is black and yellow, is often bred for its honey. There is also Apis dorsata, a forest honey bee whose body is large.
Living in a Colony
Honey bees live together in groups called colonies. In this colony, there are queen bees, worker bees, and male bees. Each member has their own duties. The queen bee’s job is only to lay eggs, there are thousands of them every day. Worker bees are in charge of caring for the young and foraging for food. This colony lives in a nest composed of hexagon-shaped chambers. These chambers are used to incubate eggs and store food reserves.
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Food Reserve
Honey produced by bees is actually a food reserve. Worker bees in charge of foraging suck a sweet liquid called nectar from the flowers they visit. This nectar is temporarily stored in the bee’s stomach and mixed with enzymes that turn this liquid into honey. This liquid is stored in the beehive to be a source of food for them. Honey can last for years without preservatives.
