Bees & Honey in the Big Picture — Mary Woltz
Constant Harvest • Volume 4 Number 2 • Autumn 2005 Updated: 04/10/06
There are few sights as symbolic of “industry” as the flurry of activity around the entrance to a beehive, where workers jockey for position, eager to offload their bundles of protein-rich pollen. One can easily forget the greater significance of this bucolic sight, unless one pauses to consider that the hunger and thirst of the bees is directly related to our own needs. Her services as “matchmaker to the plants” provide for about one third of our consumption of food and drink. The literal fruits, nuts, fibers, etc. that result from her and other insects’ labors are worth an estimated $40 billion annually, in the US. Almonds are but one example of the essential role played by the honey bee, who largely determines the success or failure of approximately 80% of the world’s production, or the one billion pounds produced annually by California almond growers. Due to significant losses in the US honey bee population this past winter - with up to 50% losses in California - there was a shortage of colonies available for pollination, and those that did present themselves received record breaking fees for their services.
Pollen is but one of the items the bees seek throughout spring and summer. They are also in search of nectar, without which there would be no honey. A tremendous amount of work is required to transform nectar into honey - a feat mastered only by the honey bee. A single honey bee may visit as many as 1500 flowers to fill her honey stomach. This special stomach is designed to hold the nectar in transit, and allows the digestion process to begin on the flight home, as she mixes the nectar with various enzymes, breaking it down into simple sugars. So, not only is our brave bee carrying up to 85% of her body weight (about an eyedropper full) at a speed of 6-9 miles per hour, on the long journey home (bees have been known to fly as far as 5 miles in search of food), but she is also conducting a complex chemical transformation of substances. Upon her arrival at the hive the nectar will be about 60% moisture. However, the final product will be need to be around 17-18% moisture to prevent spoilage, so much work remains to be done. The forager bee will give her load of nectar to a house bee, who will focus on the continued reduction of the nectar’s moisture content. She’ll repeatedly roll a drop of nectar up and down her long tongue. She’ll spread small amounts into many cells of the comb. She’ll fan it with her wings. These processes will not only lower the moisture content, but will also raise the sugar content to a whopping 80%. (This high sugar concentration not only preserves the honey, but also kills bacteria, making honey an excellent wound dressing.) The final seal of approval is literally a thin layer of wax spread over the top of the cell. So when you hear that a pound of honey represents 55,000 flight miles and 2 million flowers, remember that’s only the beginning!
Mary Woltz is a beekeeper and partner in the Hamptons Honey Company, based in Water Mill, NY. She manages 100 colonies of honey bees located on 11 different locations, including EECO Farm, scattered between the North and South Forks of Long Island’s East End.