During foraging, bees use part of the nectar collected to support metabolic activity of flight muscles, with the majority of collected nectar destined for regurgitation, digestion, and storage as honey. Honey is produced by bees collecting nectar and honeydew for use as sugars consumed to support metabolism of muscle activity during foraging or to be stored as a long-term food supply.
Honeycomb displaying hexagonal prismatic wax cells in which honey bees store honey Most microorganisms do not grow in honey, so sealed honey does not spoil, even after thousands of years.
It has attractive chemical properties for baking and a distinctive flavor when used as a sweetener. Fifteen millilitres (1 US tablespoon) of honey provides around 190 kilojoules (46 kilocalories) of food energy. Honey gets its sweetness from the monosaccharides fructose and glucose, and has about the same relative sweetness as sucrose (table sugar). Honey is collected from wild bee colonies, or from hives of domesticated bees, a practice known as beekeeping or apiculture (meliponiculture in the case of stingless bees). The variety of honey produced by honey bees (the genus Apis) is the best-known, due to its worldwide commercial production and human consumption. Honey bees store honey in wax structures called honeycombs, whereas stingless bees store honey in pots made of wax and resin. Bees produce honey from the sugary secretions of plants (floral nectar) or from secretions of other insects (such as honeydew), by regurgitation, enzymatic activity, and water evaporation. Honey is a sweet, viscous food substance made by honey bees and some other bees.
A jar of honey with a honey dipper and an American biscuit
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