There are approximately 20,000 described species of bees globally, and the overwhelming majority of these species do not produce or store honey. This common misconception arises because the small group of bees that do produce honey are highly visible and commercially managed. The vast diversity of bees includes solitary diggers, leafcutters, and bumblebees, all of which employ survival tactics different from their honey-producing cousins. Honey-making is a specialized behavior tied to a specific type of social structure, not a universal trait of the bee family.
The Specific Bees That Produce Honey
Honey production is a trait associated with the highly social and perennial lifestyle of the Apis genus, commonly known as honey bees. Apis mellifera, the Western honey bee, is the most recognized species and the source of nearly all commercial honey worldwide. These species maintain massive, year-round colonies, which necessitates the creation of a stable, long-term, high-energy food store.
The process involves converting nectar, a sugary fluid secreted by plants, into a preserved food source through enzymatic action and dehydration. Worker bees repeatedly ingest and regurgitate the collected nectar, adding digestive enzymes that break down complex sugars. Nectar is then fanned until its moisture content drops significantly, typically below 18%.
This low water activity level prevents microbial spoilage and fermentation, allowing the substance to be stored indefinitely in wax comb cells. The resulting honey is a dense, preserved carbohydrate source that sustains the colony through periods of scarcity.
While Apis species are the primary producers, a large tribe of tropical stingless bees (Meliponini) also creates a substance known as “pot-honey.” This honey is often thinner and more acidic than that made by honey bees, and it is stored in small, specialized resin pots within the nest. Stingless bees produce far less of this substance, and it is not the source of the high-volume, commercially available honey found in most grocery stores.
Why Honey is Essential for Colony Survival
The function of honey is to act as long-term energy insurance for the entire colony. Honey bees maintain colonies that can swell to tens of thousands of individuals, a population that requires continuous feeding. This large number of insects must be sustained even when outside conditions prevent foraging, such as during cold winters or extended dry seasons.
Honey provides the concentrated carbohydrate source necessary to generate heat and sustain the adult population during these non-foraging periods. Worker bees form a tight cluster inside the hive when temperatures drop below approximately 57 degrees Fahrenheit. They shiver their flight muscles, burning stored honey to maintain a regulated core temperature of around 92 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit within the cluster’s center.
Without this massive reserve of preserved food, the entire colony would perish from starvation and cold within a matter of weeks. The sheer scale and perennial nature of the Apis colony structure dictates the need for this unique and substantial food reserve.
How Most Bees Survive Without Honey
The majority of the world’s 20,000 bee species are solitary, meaning a single female constructs and provisions her nest without the aid of a worker caste. Solitary bees, such as mason bees or leafcutter bees, have short adult life cycles that rarely last more than a few weeks. Their survival strategy is centered on provisioning the next generation, not sustaining a large, existing adult population.
The adult female provisions individual nursery cells with a highly nutritious mixture of pollen and nectar known as “bee bread.” This mixture is precisely measured for a single larva to consume during its development. The adult female dies after laying her eggs, having completed her reproductive cycle.
The next generation of bees survives the winter as pupae or pre-pupae inside their sealed cells, relying on the stored bee bread for their entire development. This life cycle eliminates the need for long-term storage of honey to sustain a living adult population through the winter. The stored food is strictly for larval consumption.
Bumblebees (genus Bombus) represent a semi-social middle ground, but their survival strategy also bypasses the need for large-scale honey storage. Bumblebee colonies are annual, meaning a new colony starts in the spring and typically contains only a few hundred individuals at its peak. This small population size and short lifespan significantly reduces the required food reserve.
When winter approaches, the colony naturally declines, and only new, mated queens enter a state of diapause, or hibernation, typically underground. The old queen, workers, and males die off entirely. The hibernating queen requires only her own small internal fat reserves to survive the cold, not a community food store, ensuring the cycle can begin anew the following spring.