How Do Bees Make Honey

Bees are fascinating insects, especially when it comes to how they make honey. The process begins when worker bees fly from flower to flower, collecting nectar. Nectar is a sweet liquid found inside flowers. The bees use a special part of their mouth to suck up the nectar and store it in their honey stomach, which is separate from their main stomach. This “honey stomach” acts like a temporary storage place just for nectar.

Once a bee’s honey stomach is full, it flies back to the hive and passes the nectar to other worker bees. These bees then chew the nectar for about 30 minutes, mixing it with special enzymes. This chewing helps break down the nectar into a thicker liquid. When the nectar is ready, the bees place it into honeycombs, which are the hexagon-shaped cells inside the hive.

Finally, to turn the nectar into honey, the bees fan their wings over the honeycomb. This movement helps remove extra water from the nectar, making it thicker and sweeter. Once the honey is ready, the bees seal the honeycomb cells with a layer of wax to keep it fresh. This honey becomes food for the bees and, of course, a sweet treat for us!

Palavras Difíceis: Enzymes (special proteins that speed up chemical reactions; proteínas especiais que aceleram reações químicas), Honeycomb (the hexagonal structure where bees store honey; estrutura hexagonal onde as abelhas armazenam o mel).