Barkman Honey

A Day in the Life of a Worker Bee

The average worker bee makes 1/12 teaspoon of honey in her lifetime. And it's no easy task. Here's how bees make honey:

Step 1

Foraging worker bees fly from their hive (sometimes miles away) to gather nectar from flowers and other blooming vegetation.

Step 2

Once enough nectar is collected, the bees bring it back to the hive.

Step 3

The nectar is chewed up and deposited into honeycomb wax cells. (npr.org) The honey is still wet and not the familiar consistency.

Step 4

Newly hatched worker bees vigorously “fan” their wings over the nectar, causing the liquid inside the cells to slowly dehydrate. The drying process, along with natural enzymes added to the nectar, transforms the relatively thin liquid into a much thicker honey.

Step 5

Once the honey is ready, the bees cap and seal the cell to keep it clean.

There are more than 300 varieties of flowers and blooms that honeybees can visit, which means the taste, color and smell will vary from honey to honey.

Ready to learn how honey gets from the bees to your table? Visit our How Honey is Made page.