Honeycomb and honey — lesson. Science State Board, Class 7.

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The sweet liquid produced by the honey bees from the nectar of flowers is known as honey.

The bees collect nectar from the flowers, convert it to honey, and store them in honeycombs or beehives.

Beehive

The beehives are the place where the honeybees store their larvae, honey,and pollen. The beekeepers collect the honey by removing the entire honeycomb.

In a beehive, there are \(3\) types of honeybees. They are the queen bee, drones, and the worker bees.

The worker bees collect the nectar from the flowers. They nourish the young ones and repair the beehive and also protect it.

Formation of honey:

The formation of honey is a multi-step process as follows:

The worker bees collect the nectar from various flowers.
This nectar is stored in the special sac, called a honey stomach or honey sac.
In the honey sac, the sucrose in the nectar mixes with acidic secretion and gets converted into honey due to the enzymatic action.
Then this honey is stored in the special chambers of the hive.

Honeybees collecting nectars

The quality of the honey depends upon the flowers from which the bees collect the nectar and pollen.

Honey and its uses:

Raw organic wild honey is extracted by the tribal honey hunters in the forests and jungles.

Important!

Honey is an edible natural food product which is viscous and sweet.

Honey

Honey contains substances like amino acids, ascorbic acids, B-complex vitamins, and minerals. It contains invertase enzyme and formic acid which act as a preservative.

Uses:

Honey is used as a blood purifier as it has antiseptic and antibacterial properties.
It helps in building up the haemoglobin content of the blood.
It is used in Ayurvedic and Unani medicines.
It is used in the prevention of cough, cold, fever and also relieves sore throat.
It is a natural remedy for curing ulcers of the tongue, stomach and intestine.
It is used to enhance digestion and appetite.