Do Bees Eat Their Own Honey?

Do bees eat the honey they produce? Honey bees do in fact eat the honey they make, but typically save their honey stores for certain occasions.

Yes, honey bees eat the honey they make. Stored honey provides an important source of energy when fresh nectar is limited, especially during winter, bad weather, and swarming. 

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Do bees eat the honey they worked hard to make?

We all love honey for its sweet taste and health benefits, but what about the bees that make it - do they get to enjoy their product too? As it turns out, honeybees do indeed feast on their honey stores, primarily to survive harsh weather and fuel difficult processes like swarming.

Why Do Bees Make and Store Honey?

Think of the honeycomb as the hive's pantry. Honey bees collect nectar when flowers are available, turn it into honey, and store it for later.

Fresh nectar gives adult bees carbohydrates for energy, while pollen provides protein, fats, and other nutrients needed by the colony. When nectar becomes harder to find, stored honey gives the bees a reliable source of fuel.

That is especially important during winter, but honey stores can also help the colony through poor weather, nectar shortages, and other times when foraging is difficult.

Do Bees Really Eat Honey?

The short answer is yes! Bees eat honey. Well, at least honeybees do.

• Think of a hive’s honey stores as a pantry for bees. The bees produce honey throughout the warmer months and then store it in a honeycomb for winter like humans canning their fruit and veggies harvest for cold weather use.

This makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

• During the warmer months, bees feast on fresh nectar and pollen from flowers. However, once the colder, darker months hit, there typically aren’t any flowers around.

• Without the hive full of nutritious honey, the bees wouldn't survive.

Instead, they plan for tomorrow by storing as much food as possible. These honey stores help the bees make it through the winter, plus any emergencies that might pop up.

How Do Bees Make Honey?

Honey bees collect nectar from flowers and then process it using a special enzyme in their digestive systems. This enzyme helps turn the nectar into honey.

• Once the nectar is processed, it’s placed in a honeycomb. Then, worker bees flap their wings to create a warm breeze that cures and dries the honey.

• Over time, this drying process reduces the nectar’s water content, resulting in thick, delicious honey.

• Once the honey is complete, the bees use beeswax to cap off the honeycomb and store the honey until needed.

When Do Bees Typically Eat Honey?

Honey bees don’t eat honey all the time. Typically, they’ll stick with feeding on nectar and pollen during the warmer months when food is abundant.

To bees, honey is more of a long-term storage item or a source of emergency food, only to be used in certain circumstances.

So let’s talk about when bees do eat honey.

During Winter

The coldest months of the year can be hard on the honey bees. Food is scarce in the landscape, with most sources of nectar going dormant or dying in the cold. Plus, there’s the cold weather itself for the bees to contend with.

Did you know honey bees form what’s called a winter cluster? When the temperature drops to around 57 degrees Fahrenheit, all the remaining worker bees gather around the queen bee and vibrate their bodies. This creates a bubble of warmth that keeps the queen and the rest of the colony alive.

• Within the center of a winter cluster, we'll find the queen bee. This area of the cluster is typically kept between 90 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit.

• In a winter cluster, the whole hive works together for one purpose: Staying warm and staying alive.

The worker bees put in a lot of hard work for the hive’s survival in the coldest temperatures, so they need to stay fueled up. This means they begin to consume the honey stored in their honeycombs.

Thankfully, honey is packed with carbohydrates for energy, plus all the nutrients the bees need to make it through winter.

When They’re About To Swarm

The typical honeybee hive houses tens of thousands of bees, and can even surpass 100,000 bees at the peak of the warm season. When the hive gets on the larger side, it can become overcrowded, prompting the bees to prepare to swarm.

• A swarm happens when the queen bee leaves the hive with 40 to 60% of the adult bees and intends on starting a new hive.

• The bees clump together in a ball, often around a tree branch. If you’ve ever seen a swarm of bees, it’s not a sight you’ll soon forget.

That said, swarming doesn’t usually happen all of a sudden, it’s generally planned in advance. Sometimes, the bees will eat from the original hive’s honey stores to fuel their move.

When Nectar Is Scarce

Stored honey also provides backup food when flowers temporarily stop producing enough nectar.

Drought, prolonged bad weather, or seasonal gaps between flowering plants can all reduce the amount of fresh food available. During these periods, the colony can turn to the reserves it prepared earlier.

Which Bees Eat Honey?

Not every bee species produces and stores honey. Honey bees are the best-known example, although some other bees, such as tropical stingless bees, also produce honey.

There are more than 20,000 kinds of bees in the world, and most do not build the large honey stores associated with honey bee colonies.

Within a honey bee colony:

• Worker bees: Workers use honey as an energy source while carrying out jobs such as foraging, maintaining the hive, caring for brood, and keeping the colony warm.

• Drone bees: Male drones also consume the colony's food stores. Their main role is reproduction, and they are typically present during the warmer breeding season.

What Does the Queen Bee Eat?

The queen is fed a nutrient-rich glandular food, commonly known as royal jelly, by worker bees throughout her life.

Young bee larvae also receive jelly during development, while larvae being raised as queens receive a specialized diet and care as they develop.

Is It Harmful to Take Honey From Bees?

Not when honey is harvested responsibly. Beekeepers can harvest surplus honey while leaving the colony with enough stored food for periods when nectar is scarce.

How much a colony needs depends on factors such as climate, colony size, and the length of winter.

Manukora's Approach to Ethical Beekeeping

At Manukora, we leave honey on the hive for the bees to use through winter rather than treating the entire harvest as ours to take.

This is part of The Art of Ethical Beekeeping, our approach to working with the natural rhythms of the bees and their environment.

The Bottom Line

Honey is not just something bees make for us. It is an important food reserve that helps the colony stay fueled when fresh nectar is harder to find.

That is also why thoughtful harvesting matters. Leaving bees with the food they need is one of the principles behind Manukora's approach to ethical beekeeping.

The quality and characteristics of honey vary depending on its source and processing. For instance, Manukora's Manuka Honey MGO 600+ and MGO 850+ are premium varieties, each offering unique nutritional profiles due to their high MGO content and rich bioactive compounds.

These can be found amongst other trending products known for their exceptional quality. The color of Manuka honey, a vital attribute, is elaborately discussed in the Manuka Honey Color guide. For those curious about the differences between raw and pure honey, the Raw vs. Pure Honey article offers valuable insights.

Exploring Manukora's collections reveals a diverse range of honey products. Lastly, incorporating these unique honey types into your cooking can be an exciting adventure, and the Cooking with Manuka Honey tips provide great ideas for starting this journey.

Head here to check out the Manukora blog* for more articles about bees and all things honey!*

FAQs

Do bees eat their own honey?

Yes. Honey bees eat the honey they make, especially when fresh nectar is hard to find. Stored honey gives the colony an important source of energy.

Why do bees eat honey?

Bees eat honey mainly for carbohydrates and energy. It helps fuel activities such as keeping the hive warm, foraging, and maintaining the colony.

When do honey bees eat stored honey?

Honey bees rely more heavily on stored honey during winter, poor weather, nectar shortages, and before swarming. These are times when fresh food may be limited or extra energy is needed.

Do all bees eat honey?

No. Most bee species do not produce or store honey. Honey bees are the best-known honey-producing bees, while some stingless bee species also make and consume honey.

What do queen bees eat?

Queen bees are mainly fed royal jelly by worker bees. Royal jelly is a nutrient-rich food produced by worker bees and is also given to young bee larvae.

Is it harmful to take honey from bees?

Responsible honey harvesting does not have to harm the colony. Beekeepers should harvest only surplus honey while leaving enough stored food for the bees, especially for winter and other periods when nectar is scarce.

Sources

• Stingless bee honey, a novel source of trehalulose: a biologically active disaccharide with health benefits | Scientific Reports

• How many species of native bees are in the United States? | U.S. Geological Survey

• Beekeeping By the Numbers | American Bee Journal

• Winter Clusters Seen with Colors of Heat | American Bee Journal