BEULT HOUSE BEES |
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Honey is
produced by honeybees from nectar (not pollen, although there are small
amounts of pollen in the honey). It is a mixture of fructose, dextrose, and
sucrose, which is inverted, and excess water removed by the bees. It is an
entirely natural process and is designed to provide energy for the bees and
larvae (the larvae are also fed pollen and honey to make them grow). The
real reason for the bees' need to produce surplus honey is that a large
number of them are required to live through the winter to start off the
colony in the spring. (Solitary and bumble bees also wasps do not store
honey in this way) For this reason, in nature, they build huge combs made of wax during the summer months when the nectar is flowing to store as much honey as they can get. They work night and day collecting the nectar, turning it into honey and storing it in to combs. The bees in the summer months only live about six weeks because they work so hard. They can store up to 200lbs of honey that is greatly in excess of the needs for the winter (fewer bees are in the hive during the winter than the summer). Thus the beekeepers can safely take some of the honey for their own use or for sale. They must always leave enough to ensure the bees can last through the winter. Usually it is better to leave plenty in the hive and collect the unused honey in the spring when the flow starts. All the honey in the brood chamber is for feeding the young and is never taken by the beekeeper |
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