How do bees make honey?

Bees collect nectar from flowers. This is the first step in making honey.

How do bees make honey? The first step is to collect nectar (a sugary liquid produced by flowers) from flowers.

A bee flies from one flower to next. It sucks up nectar through a straw-like tongue. Then it flies to its hive. It drops off the nectar. 

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Bees store honey in a honeycomb.

Other bees start to change nectar into honey. They break the sugar down into smaller parts. The bees move drops of nectar to a honeycomb. They dry the nectar by fanning it with their wings. The bees cover the honeycomb with wax. This keeps the honey from spoiling (changes to food that make it not safe to eat). 

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Beekeepers collect extra honey.

The bees eat the honey. They use the sugar for energy. They also make more honey than they need. Beekeepers collect the extra honey. This is what we eat on pancakes!

What Do You Think? Why do you think it is important for bees to keep honey from spoiling? 

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