Why Do Bees Make Honey?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hey there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Grab your explorer hat! Why do bees make honey?

The Big Idea

Honey is bee food for winter. Flowers do not bloom all year, so a hive stores extra sugar as thick, long-lasting honey. Let's see how nectar becomes honey! One bee makes only a tiny amount of honey in her whole life.

Flower Visit

Step one: a flower visit. A bee sips watery nectar from a flower. It carries the load home in a special stomach.

Share and Fan

Step two: share and fan. Back in the hive, bees pass the nectar from bee to bee. They also fan their wings to fan the water out, and the syrup thickens. Honey can last for a very long time without spoiling.

Wax Cap

Step three: the wax cap. What remains is honey, packed in wax cells. Then each cell is sealed with a wax cap, for later meals. Bees work together as one big team.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look at a honey cell! A worker bee does the carrying and the fanning. Nectar is the watery syrup from flowers. The honeycomb is a grid of wax rooms. The wax cap is the lid that seals the honey. The stored honey is food for the cold months.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! Honey is for the bees first. People only take the extra from well-kept hives. A hive can hold tens of thousands of bees. Safety first: never swat at a hive, and watch bees from a distance. Allergies and stings need a grown-up.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! With a grown-up, look at a jar label or a picture of honeycomb. Think about all the flowers that made it. Is honey a bee snack, or a flower snack? What job did the bees add?

Outro

Now you know! Bees turn flower nectar into honey for winter. Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!