Every little drop of honey is like a tiny gift from the hardworking bees. These tiny creatures start their busy lives as soon as they hatch from their tiny eggs. They build and take care of their homes, gathering sweet nectar from flowers all around.
The 6-week life of a bee is equally divided between their work inside the hive and foraging outside the hive.
Inside the hive the tasks for the bee include nursing the larvae, cleaning up, assisting the queen bee as well as preventing intruders from accessing the hive.
For the second half of their life, the worker bees collect pollen and nectar. They pass it along from one bee to another, sort of like a sweet relay race! As they do this, the nectar starts to turn into the delicious honey we love. Once the bees put the nectar in their honeycomb, they start buzzing around, making the hive nice and warm. This helps to get rid of any extra water in the honey. When the honey is just right, the bees seal it up with a layer of wax.
Did you know that honey is mostly natural sugar? Around 80% of it is sugar, with most of that being fructose and glucose, the natural sugars that give honey its sweet taste. The level of fructose and glucose determine how long a variety of honey will take to crystalize – which in itself is a natural process. Back to the Hive’s Greek Fir Tree honey rarely crystalizes because of its unique natural composition. But there's more to honey than just sweetness. It also has a tiny bit of good stuff like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
So, the next time you enjoy a spoonful of honey, remember to thank the bees for all their hard work. They work tirelessly every spring, making this golden elixir just for us to enjoy. Let's raise a toast to these amazing little creatures and the sweet gift they give us every year!