On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1255

HemisphereuptotheArcticCircle.
HowBeesMakeHoney
NectarTheprincipalrawmaterialofhoneyis
the nectar collected from flowers, which
produce it in order to attract pollinating
insects and birds. Secondary sources include
nectaries elsewhere on the plant and
honeydew,thesecretionsofaparticulargroup
of bugs. The chemical composition of nectar
varies widely, but its major ingredient by far
is sugars. Some nectars are mostly sucrose,
some are evenly divided among sucrose,
glucose, and fructose, and some (sage and
tupelo)aremostlyfructose.Afewnectarsare
harmless to bees but poisonous to humans,
andsogeneratetoxichoneys.Honeyfromthe
PonticregionofeasternTurkeywasnotorious
in ancient Greece and Rome; a local species
of rhododendron carries “grayanotoxins,”
which interfere with both lung and heart
action.


Themostimportantsourcesofnectarare
theflowersofplantsinthebeanfamily,
especiallyclover,andinthelettucefamily,a
largegroupthatincludesthesunflower,
dandelion,andthistles.Thoughmosthoneyis
madefromamixtureofnectarsfromdifferent
flowers,some300different“monofloral”
honeysareproducedintheworld,withcitrus,

chestnut,buckwheat,andlavenderhoneys
especiallyvaluedfortheirdistinctivetastes.
Somehoneys,chestnutandbuckwheatin
particular,aremuchdarkerthanothers,thanks
inparttothehigherproteincontentintheir
nectars,whichreactswiththesugarsto
producedarkpigmentsaswellasatoasted
aroma.
GatheringNectarThebeegathersnectarfrom
aflowerbyinsertingitslongproboscisdown
intothenectary.Intheprocess,itshairybody
picksuppollenfromtheflower’santhers.The
nectarpassesthroughthebee’sesophagusinto