Natural Honeycomb In Compostable Box

Description

100% natural, delicious, sticky honeycomb filled with our amazing RAW rainforest honey. Honeycomb is the purest form of enjoying fresh, raw honey.

Benefits of Natural Honeycomb

• Immune Boost: Packed with antioxidants and natural antibacterial properties, our honeycomb can give your immune system the boost it needs.
• Ethical and Responsible: By choosing Nature’s Gold, you’re supporting sustainable beekeeping practices and helping maintain biodiversity
• Natural Energy: Get an all-natural energy kick without the sugar crashes.
• Perfect Gift: Nature’s Gold honeycomb makes a unique and thoughtful gift for any occasion, from weddings to birthdays to special moments with loved ones

How is Natural Honeycomb made?

Bees create natural honeycomb through a fascinating and highly organized process. The natural honeycomb is a critical component of a beehive, serving as both a storage unit for honey and a nursery for developing bee larvae. Here’s a step-by-step explanation of how bees make natural honeycomb:

1. Wax Gland Secretion: Honeycomb construction begins with adult worker bees in the hive. These worker bees have special glands on their abdomen that produce small, white wax flakes. These wax glands are most active in bees between 12 to 18 days old.
2. Wax Scales Formation: The wax flakes, also known as wax scales, are initially transparent but become opaque as they harden on the bee’s abdomen. These scales are produced when the bees consume honey or nectar, which provides the necessary energy for wax production.
3. Wax Manipulation: The bees collect the wax scales from their abdomen using their hind legs and then chew and manipulate the scales with their mandibles to make them malleable.
4. Comb Building: Bees work together to build the honeycomb. They use their mandibles to shape the wax into hexagonal cells. The hexagonal shape is efficient for storage and organization, providing stability and maximum storage space while using the least amount of wax. Bees instinctively create this shape, known as a “hexagonal pattern,” which allows for optimal use of space and minimal use of wax.
5. Cell Formation: The comb consists of two types of cells: worker cells (smaller) and drone cells (larger). The bees create worker cells for laying eggs and storing honey, while drone cells are primarily for raising male bees (drones).
6. Storage and Development: Once the honeycomb structure is formed, worker bees fill the cells with nectar or honey. They also lay eggs in the worker cells. The brood cells (cells with developing bee larvae) are typically in the center of the comb, surrounded by cells filled with food.
7. Cell Capping: After the cells are filled, worker bees cap them with a layer of wax to seal the contents inside. The capping acts as a protective barrier for the developing bees and the stored honey.
8. Honey Extraction: Beekeepers can harvest honeycomb by carefully removing the capped cells and extracting the honey. This process can be done without damaging the comb if done correctly, allowing the bees to reuse the comb for future storage.
9. Reuse and Maintenance: Bees can reuse honeycomb, saving them a significant amount of energy and time compared to constructing it from scratch. However, over time, the comb may become darker in colour as it accumulates impurities from honey storage.

The construction of honeycomb is a remarkable example of nature’s precision and efficiency. Bees exhibit extraordinary teamwork, geometry, and resourcefulness in creating this essential structure within their hives to store honey and raise their young.