Page 24 - Kids and Bees Resource Booklet_SP_Neat

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We all know honey comes from bees, but what is it, and how is used? And what else is in the hive?

Honey: a dense and sugary enzyme-rich liquid compound

made by bees from the nectar of flowers. Bees use it to fuel
themselves. They keep the center of the hive about 92 de-
grees in winter and summer, no matter what the tempera-
ture outside! Honey also helps to insulate their hives. Hu-
mans use it primarily as a food sweetener and an energy/
sports endurance booster.

Beeswax: a solid compound produced by worker bees to
make comb. Bees will use this essential product to store
honey, and also pollen, as well as their brood. Honeycomb
also provides a dancefloor for worker bees to waggle. Hu-
mans use beeswax for candles, beauty products, art sup-

plies, and much more. (Read more about beeswax on page
60)

Pollen: the vessel housing a plant’s male gamete. Bees har-
vest this powdery flower product and store it in their hive
to feed their young (larvae). Humans use it as a nutritional
protein supplement.

Nectar: a sugary liquid secreted by plants to attract polli-

nators (not to be confused with pollen). Bees turn this sub-
stance into honey by fanning about 80% of the moisture off
of it (with their wings) and adding additional enzymes from
their own bodies.

Propolis: resins collected from plants by bees used to line
the inside of a hive, and reduce the hives entrance(s). Bees
use it to patch holes and rough surfaces in the hive, and po-
tentially reduce colony disease. Humans use it in pill and
tincture form as an anti-bacterial and an immune system
booster.

Royal Jelly: a thick and nutritious mixture used to feed the
developing queen. Bees use it to feed the queen. Humans
use it in skin products and hormone balancing supple-
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