Beekeeping

How bees make honey: a description of the collection and production process, why it is needed

How bees make honey: a description of the collection and production process, why it is needed
Anonim

The benefits of honey have been known to mankind since ancient times. The bee product contains unique vitamins, minerals, he althy sugars and acids. The process of making honey is controlled by industrious insects, and people get a completely ready-to-eat product. How bees extract nectar and make honey from flower delicacy, we will look into the details further.

Why do bees need honey

The bee family is characterized by a large number of individuals, where each insect is responsible for different stages of life and existence of the nest. The inhabitants of the hive require quality food, but not all bees are able to get it.

The scouts and workers are responsible for finding and harvesting food, who carry flower nectar and pollen to the hive, where they are received and processed by other minke whales.

  • The scouts find a site with honey plants, where a sample of the necessary product is taken.
  • Further, the insects return to the hive, where they transmit information to workers, who immediately fly out to collect food for the entire large family.
  • Nectar and pollen, after being treated with a special secret, are placed in special cells and sealed.
  • In the process of life, the bees gradually open the honeycombs and use the ripened product as the main food for the offspring and the whole family.

Due to their industriousness, insects extract much more nectar than is required to feed the swarm. Professional beekeepers, with correct calculations, receive a large amount of ready-to-eat, valuable and useful beekeeping product.During the season, the beekeeper pumps out from 50 to 70 kg of honey produced by one bee family.

Interesting! To make honey, insects use the nectar of flowering plants and honeydew, which is secreted by trees, shrubs and certain types of aphids.

How insects produce it

Active work of a bee colony starts at sunrise and ends after sunset. Insects collect valuable delicacies throughout the day, which are taken to the hive for further processing. During the working day, one bee makes up to 10-12 sorties, taking short rest breaks between them.

After flying around the melliferous areas and filling a special tank with a flower treat, the minke whales return to the hive, where the insects responsible for receiving suck the nectar from the workers and process it with a secret secreted by special glands.

Part of the obtained delicacy is immediately sent to feed the larvae.

Insects place the main prey in cells of honeycombs and ventilate for some time, intensively flapping their wings. Such actions help rid the nectar of excess moisture. For aging and fermentation, the cells with the delicacy are hermetically sealed with wax.

Bee pollen is processed in the process of collecting it from plants.

Minke whales collect small particles adhering to the villi, moisten them with a secret and roll them into small balls, which are placed in special baskets located on the hind legs. Next, the crystallized pollen is delivered to the hive, placed in separate combs, filled with nectar and sealed. After an intense chemical reaction, bee bread appears, which contains a large amount of proteins and vitamins necessary for the nutrition of offspring and all members of the bee family.

Where is it stored?

Bees are very clean insects that keep their home in perfect cleanliness and keep it in order every day.

Worker minke whales extract nectar and pollen, and after delivery to the hive, food is placed in honeycombs made of wax. During storage, chemical reactions are formed in the delicacy, which contribute to the fermentation and maturation of honey.

Important! Cells containing honey are characterized by a light brown color, while honeycombs with bee bread have a bright yellow tint.

Stages of honey extraction

Bees are very organized insects, so the process of extracting and making honey is clearly distributed among all family members:

  • with the onset of the morning, the scouts go to search for areas with honey plants, and after returning they transmit information using special movements to other individuals;
  • working minke whales fly out in an already known direction to collect nectar and pollen;
  • after filling their tank with a specially adapted proboscis with a sweet treat and processing the pollen into crystal form, the bees return to the nest for a short rest.

Next, the nectar is processed with a special secret, aired and sealed in honeycomb cells for further fermentation.

During a working day, striped workers are able to fly from 6 to 8 km and cultivate up to 12 hectares of honey plantations.

The hive queen and drones are responsible for breeding offspring and increasing the family. Juveniles help feed the larvae and keep the nest clean.

This page in other languages: