Making Honey

Bees collect the nectar from the flower which is roughly 80% water and 20% sugar (mostly sucrose).  During the flight home the 'forager bee' adds an enzyme (invertase) to the nectar which starts a process to convert the sugar into glucose and fructose. 

When the forager arrives home she gives the nectar to a receiving house bee that will add additional invertase and then find a location in the hive where she can tend the nectar. The nectar droplet will hang from the ceiling of the cell and dehydrate over the course of the day.  In inclement weather the bee will fan the droplets to draw off moisture. Eventually the nectar is reduced to a mixture that is about 18 or 19% water and 80% sugar. This is honey. 

The droplets are collected and placed in cells; when a cell is full it is covered with a protective layer of new beeswax.  This is a food store for the hive for the winter.