Table of Contents
Why Do Bees Make Honey?
The Colony
Honey History
We know that bees have been producing honey as they do today for at least 150 million years. Bees produce honey as food stores for the hive during the long months of winter when flowers aren't blooming and therefore little or no nectar is available to them. European honey bees, genus Apis Mellifera, produce such an abundance of honey, far more than the hive can eat, that humans can harvest the excess. For this reason, European honey bees can be found in beekeeper's hives around the world!
Honey bees are social insects, with a marked division of labor between the various types of bees in the colony. A colony of honey bees includes a queen, drones and workers.
- The Queen - The queen is the only sexually developed female in the hive. She is the largest bee in the colony.
A two-day-old larva is selected by the workers to be reared as the queen. She will emerge from her cell 11 days later to mate in flight with approximately 18 drone (male) bees. During this mating, she receives several million sperm cells, which last her entire life span of nearly two years.
The queen starts to lay eggs about 10 days after mating. A productive queen can lay 3,000 eggs in a single day.
- The Drones - Drones are stout male bees that have no stingers. Drones do not collect food or pollen from flowers. Their sole purpose is to mate with the queen. If the colony is short on food, drones are often kicked out of the hive.
- The Workers - Workers, the smallest bees in the colony, are sexually undeveloped females. A colony can have 50,000 to 60,000 workers.
The life span of a worker bee varies according to the time of year. Her life expectancy is approximately 28 to 35 days. Workers that are reared in September and October, however, can live through the winter.
Workers feed the queen and larvae, guard the hive entrance and help to keep the hive cool by fanning their wings. Worker bees also collect nectar to make honey. In addition, honey bees produce wax comb. The comb is composed of hexagonal cells which have walls that are only 2/1000 inch thick, but support 25 times their own weight.
Honey bees' wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.
- LITERATURE: 21ST CENTURY B.C.
- Honey is alluded to in the Sumerian and Babylonian cuneiform writings, the Hittite code, the sacred writings of India, the Vedas and in the ancient writings of Egypt.
- BIBLICAL
- The area now comprising Israel and the Palestine autonomous region is often referred to as "the land of milk and honey." 1
- ANCIENT EGYPT: 40TH CENTURY B.C.
- Honey was used in most households as a sweetening agent. The people of this time valued honey highly, thus, it was commonly used as a tribute or payment. Honey was also used to feed sacred animals.
- SUMERIA, ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA: 21ST CENTURY B.C.
- Honey was poured over thresholds and stones bearing commemorative offerings. Honey and wine were also poured over bolts that were to be used in sacred buildings.
- GREECE
- An ancient custom was the offering of honey to the gods and to spirits of the dead. Mead, an alcohol drink made with honey, was considered the drink of the gods.
- GERMANY: 11TH CENTURY A.D.
- German beer was sweetened with honey. German peasants were required to give their feudal lords a payment of honey and beeswax.
- AMERICAS
- Conquering Spaniards found that the natives of 16th century A D. Mexico and Central America had already developed beekeeping. A distinct family of honey bees were native to the Americas.
- AMERICAN COLONIES: I 7TH CENTURY A.D.
- European settlers introduced European honey bees to New England in about 1638. North American natives called these honey bees the "white man's flies."
Honey was used to prepare food and beverages, to make cement, to preserve fruits, to concoct furniture paste-polish and varnish and for medicinal purposes.
1 Exodus 3:8
Do you want to learn more about honey bees? Click here for information about honey bees.
Click here to return the top.
Click here to return to Janette's L571 homepage.
Are you sure you don't want to learn more about honey bees? Click here for information about honey bees.
