{"id":8022,"date":"2023-01-06T12:59:04","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T17:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/?p=8022"},"modified":"2023-01-13T18:51:45","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T23:51:45","slug":"what-do-honey-bees-make-a-comprehensive-guide-to-hive-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/what-do-honey-bees-make-a-comprehensive-guide-to-hive-products\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do Honey Bees Make? A Comprehensive Guide To Hive Products"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated on January 13th, 2023<\/p>\n

What do honey bees make besides honey?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honey bees produce more than just honey – they also make nectar, propolis, beeswax, bee brood, bee venom, royal jelly, and pollen, which all have unique uses for humans. Beekeepers harvest the hive products for a variety of uses including in food and drinks, natural remedies, cosmetics, and dietary supplements.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we will explore each of these products, how they are made by the bees, how beekeepers harvest them, and some of their commercial uses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Honey bees make honey-it\u2019s In their name after all. It is the one hive product I think everyone is familiar with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honey is a sweet, sticky food produced naturally by honey bees using the nectar from flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make honey, bees collect nectar from flowers and store it in their honey stomachs. As they return to the hive, other bees take the nectar and mix it with enzymes to break down the sugars, put the mixture into wax comb cells, and evaporate some of the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the bees determine that the nectar has become honey, they cap the cells with wax storing it safely for future use. Honey is the primary food source for adult bees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beekeepers harvest surplus honey by removing the honeycomb frames from the hive and extracting the honey using a machine or by hand. The honey may be extracted in purely liquid form by separating it from the wax comb, or it may be removed from the hive complete with the wax as comb honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Note: “Surplus” honey is honey the beekeeper determines the colony can survive without.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

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\"Honey
Honey Honey Honey<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Humans use honey primarily as a food product, particularly as a sweetener in food and drinks. Honey is also a natural remedy for a variety of ailments and is used in the production of cosmetics and skincare products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn more!<\/strong> For additional details on how honey is made, its various form, and multiple uses, see our article What Is Honey? (A Guide For Beginning Beekeepers)<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Nectar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nectar is a sweet liquid produced by flowers and collected by bees to make honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To collect nectar, bees fly from flower to flower, using their long tongues to suck up the nectar and store it in their honey stomachs. In addition to its use in the production of honey, nectar is also used by humans as a natural sweetener in food and drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While nectar may technically be a hive product, beekeepers only extract it from the hive once it is converted to honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beeswax<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beeswax is a wax-like substance produced by honey bees to build a honeycomb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make beeswax, bees secrete wax flakes from special glands on their abdomen and then chew it until it becomes pliable. The bees then use the wax to build the honeycomb, a wall of hexagonal cells used to store pollen, nectar, and honey and to provide a place for the brood to develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beeswax is harvested by beekeepers by removing comb from the hive, melting it, and filtering out impurities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beeswax has some unique properties that make it useful in a wide range of products. It is a natural emulsifier and thickener, and it has a high melting point, which makes it useful in products that need to remain solid at room temperature. It is also a natural water repellent, making it useful in products that need to be waterproof or water-resistant.<\/p>\n\n\n