To make 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of honey, the bees in the colony must visit approximately 4 million flowers. In her average lifetime, a worker bee produces about 1/12th teaspoon of honey. The process of production of honey can roughly be divided into 4 stages: 1. Foraging for pollen and nectar Except for the queen, all bees depend on flower pollen as their protein source and nectar as an energy source. Bees fly away from their hive, searching flowering plants to return with nectar and pollen. Honeybees extract nectar (a sweet liquid found in flowers) using their long, tube-shaped tongue and store it in their extra stomach, or "crop." While the nectar is in the crop, it mixes with the enzymes that transform its chemical composition and pH, making it more suitable for long-term storage. 2. Digestion When a honeybee returns to the hive, it passes the nectar to another bee's mouth. In one sense, honey is in part, bee vomit. This regurgitation process is repeated until the par...
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