Honey math To produce a kilogram of honey

Honey math To produce a kilogram of honey requires 100, 000 loads of nectar = visits to 10 million individual flowers 10 million visits to individual flowers = 400, 000 km in flight = twice the earth’s circumference http: //www. honey. com/

Honey stomach http: //www. jayadeva. com/beexray 2. jpg

Nectar is transferred from the forager to a worker in the hive via mouth-to-mouth exchange (trophallaxis) In the hive, workers repeatedly regurgitate the nectar 100 to 200 times, to allow it to evaporate

Invertase converts sucrose into glucose and fructose

Steps in honey-making 2. regurgitation, concentration and biochemical conversion 3. storing in comb and capping 4. returning for more nectar 1. gathering nectar from flowers honeybee. org. au/wonderfulhoney/ images/Page 4 -5. jpg

Components of honey • Vitamins and minerals – – Ascorbic acid Beta-carotene Tocopherols Ca, P, K, Fe, Cu, Mn, Mg • Enzymes – Catalase – Peroxidase – Glucose oxidase • Sugars -- Glucose -- Fructose -- Sucrose -- Some oligosaccharides • Secondary metabolites – – Alkaloids Flavonoids Organic acids Phenolics

Toxins found in honey • Terpenoids (e. g. , andromedotoxin from rhododendron) • Alkaloids (e. g. , pyrrolizidine alkaloids from tansy ragwort) • Botulinum toxin (from bacterial spores)

Honey hunting scene from the Cave of the Spiders, 6000 BC

Egyptian clay hives 2400 -500 BC

400 BC- 1 AD Greek kept bees inpottery hives, ridged to provide surface for comb 1 AD-300 AD Romans kept bees in at least nine different kinds of hives, including log, wicker, dung, wood, and clay

Roman soldiers carried honey in their medical kits

Virgil (Georgics Book IV. 1. 317) The shepherd Aristaeus, son of Apollo and the water nymph Cyrene, and first instructor in the art of bee management

Medieval skep ca. 1200 AD-the world’s first upright hive

”Driving the bees”

Greek top-bar hive, 17 th century Leaf hive, 1789 (Francis Huber) outdoorplace. org/beekeeping/ graphics/Hive. gif Nutt collateral hive. 19 th century

Reverend L. L. Langstroth, inventor of the movable frame hive, 1851

“Bee space” = approx. 0. 25 -0. 375 inch nanaimo. ark. com/~cberube/ images/5 -4. jpg

Langstroth hive

Commercially desirable attributes of honey • it tastes sweet (baking industry, medicine) • it’s hygroscopic (baking industry, cosmetics) • it can contain antibacterial and antioxidant agents (nutraceutical)

Honey facts and figures Q: How many honey bee colonies are managed in the United States? A: Approximately 2. 5 million colonies Q : How many beekeepers? A: About 2400 keep bees as their principal occupation, but over 125, 000 people keep bees. Q: Which states lead the nation in honey production? A: California, North Dakota, South Dakota, Florida, and Minnesota Q: How much honey does the average colony produce? A: About 40 kg (about 80 lb) of honey per colony, and 9 to 18 kg (20 to 40 lb) of beeswax for every ton of honey harvested. Q: How much honey is produced in North America every year: A: From 150, 000 to 200, 000 metric tons a year. Q: Which nations are the leading producers of honey? A: China, the United States, Argentina, Ukraine, and Mexico Q: Which nations are the leading exporters? A: China, Argentina, and Mexico. Q: Which are the leading importers? A: Germany, the United States, and Japan. . http: //www. everythingabout. net/articles/biology/animals/arthropods/insects/beekeeping/

1 pound of wax = ten pounds of honey mitsurou. com/gif/8 zoom. gif

Attributes of wax that make it useful • it has a low melting point (150 degrees) (so it’s a good lubricant) • its melting point is high enough that it can resist weathering • it repels water (so it’s good for waterproofing • it’s nonpoisonous (so it’s good for cosmetics, ointments, and food products

Candles Lost wax bronze Waterproofing Batik Pysanky

www. jonesbee. com/ images/QUEEN. gif

Propolis--”bee glue” made by honey bees from flavonoidrich resins collected from poplar andother trees

Artepillin C, a component of Brazilian honey, is an efficient antioxidant xlink. rsc. org/

Varroa mite Tracheal mite

Small hive beetle, Aethina tumida (Nitidulidae), discovered in Florida in 1998 http: //www. msstate. edu/Entomology/Beekeeping/small%20 hive%20 beetle. jpg

Small hive beetles… • feed on stored pollen and honey • burrow as larvae through the comb • uncap the cells and defecate into the honey, making it unattractive (to say the least) to the bees • cause honey to ferment