How is it Done, Magic of Honey

How is it Done?  The Magic of Honey

There is special magic found in the miraculous process of honey. The dedication and unique skills called upon in these extraordinary pollinators is a true wonder. This golden “ambrosia” of vitality and health is the result of a tireless collaboration of specialists capable of exceptional chemistry.

What is the Mysterious process of Honey Making?

How do these honeybees produce this amazing life-sustaining liquid gold?

First, we must enter into the very heart of the flowers. As we learned in the Ancient History of Pollination, this is where the nectaries are created. The flowers offer up their sugary liquid to the bees with added mutual benefit for both.

Mutualism is believed to be one of the most common ecological interactions in communities throughout the world. The forager bee drinks and fills their special honey stomach full of nectar and then makes a beeline home.

Upon arrival to the hive, the nectar is transferred from one bee’s stomach to another in a process of regurgitation. With each transfer, a special bee enzyme (invertase) is added from each bee via the honey stomach. This is done repeatedly until the optimal viscosity is reached. Then the golden liquid is poured into a hexagon cell to be fanned on my rapidly beating wings. With 80% of the water content evaporated out, the hexagon is sealed with wax and set to cure into honey. This is now a supersaturated solution that contains over 180 components.

This “super” solution provides food and energy for the foraging flights of the bees. To produce one pound of honey, it take over 2 million flower visits, or roughly 55,000 miles flown. Nectar is gathered from a diverse array of sources to help maintain healthy immune systems.

The magic of honey is in the diversity of its unique creation. Within the extremely vast healing properties of honey, to the essential role pollinators play in the sphere of our food systems, let honey be a sweet liquid reminder of the full beauty of life itself.