Beekeeping Tour ???????? - Sintra, Portugal

Enjoy a beekeeping tour ???????? and honey tasting close to Lisbon!

To produce honey, bees go through a detailed and collaborative process involving several stages. Beekeepers facilitate this process to harvest honey effectively. Here’s a comprehensive look at how bees produce honey and the role of beekeepers in honey production:

???? Honey Production by Bees:

1. Nectar Collection:
Foraging: Worker bees, known as foragers, collect nectar from flowers using their proboscis (a long, tube-like tongue).
Storage: The collected nectar is stored in the bee's honey stomach (a specialized part of their digestive system).

2. Returning to the Hive:
Transfer: Forager bees return to the hive and regurgitate the nectar into the mouths of house bees through a process called trophallaxis.

3. Nectar Processing:
Enzymatic Action: House bees ingest and regurgitate the nectar multiple times, mixing it with enzymes like invertase, which break down complex sugars into simpler sugars such as glucose and fructose.
Evaporation: The bees spread the nectar onto the honeycomb cells and fan it with their wings to evaporate excess water, reducing the moisture content to about 17-20%.

4. Storage and Capping:
Ripening: As the nectar thickens into honey, it’s stored in hexagonal cells in the honeycomb.
Sealing: Once the honey reaches the right consistency, bees cap the cells with a thin layer of beeswax to preserve it.

???? Role of Beekeepers in Honey Production:
1. Hive Management:
Providing Hives: Beekeepers provide hives with frames where bees build their honeycomb.
Monitoring Health: Regular inspection of hives to check for diseases, pests, and the overall health of the colony.

2. Harvesting Honey:
Collecting Frames: When the honeycomb cells are capped, indicating the honey is ready, beekeepers remove the frames from the hive.
Uncapping: The wax caps are carefully removed using an uncapping knife or fork.
Extracting Honey: Frames are placed in a honey extractor, a centrifuge that spins the frames, forcing the honey out of the comb.

3. Processing Honey:
Filtering: The extracted honey is filtered to remove wax particles and other impurities.
Settling: Honey is left to settle in a tank, allowing air bubbles and fine particles to rise to the surface.
Bottling: Finally, the honey is poured into jars or bottles, labeled, and sealed for sale.

By understanding the intricate processes of honey production and practicing effective hive management, beekeepers can ensure a healthy and productive bee colony, leading to successful honey harvests.

You can book this tour here: farmexperiencestours.com