Bee vomit.....

Mmathis

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@addy1 Thought you'd like this pic from one of my FaceBook buddies. She's a biology major, working post-graduate (Herp studies), and believe it or not, we "met" playing an online game: her avatar was a pic of her holding a turtle, and my screen name was/still is "TurtleMommy." (That's not her in the pic -- don't know where she got it)

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j.w

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That's how honey is made? The bees spit it out? Better than coming from the other end anyways! I guess when you think about it they do suck it in w/ their little sucky things so it has to come back out one way or another.
 

addy1

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That's how honey is made? The bees spit it out? Better than coming from the other end anyways! I guess when you think about it they do suck it in w/ their little sucky things so it has to come back out one way or another.

It is fascinating:

"Nectar — a sugary liquid — is extracted from flowers using a bee's long, tube-shaped tongue and stored in its extra stomach, or "crop." While sloshing around in the crop, the nectar mixes with enzymes that transform its chemical composition and pH, making it more suitable for long-term storage.

When a honeybee returns to the hive, it passes the nectar to another bee by regurgitating the liquid into the other bee's mouth. This regurgitation process is repeated until the partially digested nectar is finally deposited into a honeycomb.

Once in the comb, nectar is still a viscous liquid — nothing like the thick honey you use at the breakfast table. To get all that extra water out of their honey, bees set to work fanning the honeycomb with their wings in an effort to speed up the process of evaporation.

When most of the water has evaporated from the honeycomb, the bee seals the comb with a secretion of liquid from its abdomen, which eventually hardens into beeswax. Away from air and water, honey can be stored indefinitely, providing bees with the perfect food source for cold winter months."
 

Mmathis

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@addy1 OK, I think I like "bee spit" better -- that's just TMI! :facepalm:

Just kidding (sorta)! That's fascinating information -- and really, I never knew how involved the process was. Bees are certainly the epitome of TEAMWORK and organization!
 

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So they make so much honey that they don't need it all so that's why we steal it from them. What happens out in the wild when they have all that excess honey? I know other animals raid some nests but what about the ones who don't get raided? Does the honey rot away when it isn't all used?
 

addy1

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So they make so much honey that they don't need it all so that's why we steal it from them. What happens out in the wild when they have all that excess honey? I know other animals raid some nests but what about the ones who don't get raided? Does the honey rot away when it isn't all used?
The honey will last forever. It never rots, turns bad etc.

We steal the honey, but then need to feed them to help them survive the winter, even down here they need to be fed if you have harvested all the honey.
They have a balance, they make what they need, if they run out of room, have too much, the hive splits and a swarm happens. A new hive is born. Like a bear giving birth to create a new bear.
 
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The honey bee is the only insect that produces food eaten by man.
honey-bee-facts.jpg
Honey is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water; and it's the only food that contains "pinocembrin", an antioxidant associated with improved brain functioning.

If properly stored, honey will not spoil: A pot of honey found in an ancient Egyptian tomb (King Tutankhamun) was proved to be as wholesome as fresh honey. However, honey will ferment if it is diluted by moisture from the atmosphere or by other liquids. Prevent fermentation by keeping honey containers tightly sealed before and between uses.
 
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addy1

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and if it crystallizes, still good honey, it was just the type of nectar they used. Golden rod nectar crystallizes ,one of their fall nectar supplies
 

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