Posts Tagged ‘Proboscis’

Honey is a natural sweeter. It has been used as a food for some six thousand years. It was the sole source of sweet for much of the world at that time .

As we people know honey is obtained from flowers and it is also called as ‘Nectar’. But the fact is the floral extract is called as nectar and its converted into honey by honey bees. The term floral extract is also not proper to define nectar, sometimes nectar is also extra floral, meaning, obtained from other parts of plant other than flower.

Bee has a complex anatomy to extract nectar from flowers. The extract is stored in a widened region called ‘Honey Stomach’ or ‘ Honey Sac’. The process of conversion of nectar to honey starts here. The nectar is altered chemically by the secretions of two glands namely salivary and hypopharngeal. The enzymes of these glands break larger sugar molecules to simpler molecules.

In the hive the bee disgorges (expels out), the nectar and its transferred to a house bee. The house bee drinks the expelled nectar through her proboscis ( specialized sucking organ for bees and other insects) and may again disgorge and redrink the same over a period of 15 – 20 minutes. This makes the nectar to mix up well with enzymic secretions. The nectar may also be passed onto another house bee for additional processing. Finally the nectar droplet is deposited into the honey comb.

The ripening of nectar into honey is a combination of two processes, the conversion of complex sugar molecules to simpler molecules and the evaporation of excess water. The evaporation of excess water is facilitated by constant fanning of wings by the honey bees. Bee hives are slightly tilted to prevent pooling of water inside the hive. The process of conversion , nectar to honey takes 1- 3 days. In this way all the cells in the comb is filled and after that cells are capped with newly produced bees wax.

Honey is less than 20% water,due to its low moisture content, honey is the only food that will not spoil. However, honey that is harvested before its completely ripe, has a higher moisture content and may be vulnerable to spoilage. Another factor that risks the quality of honey is storage, it has a nautral ability to absorb atmospheric moisture if its not kept in a well-sealed container.

Honey is acidic in nature,but the high sugar content tends to mask the acidity in taste. Honey is rich in minerals and also contains considerable amount of vitamins in it. So, if you are watching your weight honey will be smarter choice than sugar.

The first thing Honeybees do is Gather the Nectar. The Field bees which are the older bees leave the colony to gather nectar from any plant that has flowers. Nectar is comprised of a approximately 80% water and it also contains complex sugars that is produced by flowers. The field bee uses his proboscis which is a tube-like tongue and sucks the nectar from the flower and then stores it in what is referred to as a honey stomach which is a specialized organ that Honeybees have.The bee returns to the hive with the Nectar.When the field bee returns to the hive they are met by house bees, which are young worker bees.

They suck the nectar from the field bee’s honey stomach using their proboscises.Conversion of Nectar into Honey by the House Bees.The House bees produce enzymes in there mouths that convert the nectar into unripe honey. This process takes about 20 minutes to accomplish.Placement of Unripe Honey into the Hive Cells.At this point the Unripe Honey has a high concentration of water. The house bees then place the Unripe Honey into the cells of the beehive.So how is the honey is Ripened?The House bees place the unripe honey in the hive cells and leave it exposed.

THey use their wings to produce a strong draft which helps evaporate the water. They also use their proboscises to draw excess water out of the honey.Now the Honey is Ready for Use.Once the water content of the honey is reduced to a level that is satisfactory to the bees, they seal the honey in the cell with a layer of wax. The honeyBees abdomen produces a wax that is produced in small sheets underneath it’s abdomen. When the honey is sealed inside the cell, it is finished and ready to be eaten by the honeybee colony or harvested for human consumption.