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Alright, y’all, Susan Stewart here, from LocalNashvilleHoney.com, and let me tell you, there’s nothin’ sweeter than a jar of wildflower honey straight from our Nashville hives. Folks ask me all the time, “Susan, how do those busy little bees make that golden goodness?” Well, pull up a chair and let’s have a chat about how our Nashville bees work their magic on our beautiful wildflowers.
First off, Nashville is just buzzin’ with wildflowers! We’ve got everything from vibrant purple coneflowers to sunny yellow goldenrods, and those bees, bless their hearts, they know just where to find ’em. When the sun hits those blooms, our ladies – worker bees, mind you – head out on their foraging flights. They’re like tiny, fuzzy delivery drivers, only their cargo is precious nectar.
Now, nectar ain’t honey yet. It’s mostly sugar water produced by the flowers to attract pollinators. When a bee lands on a flower, she uses her long tongue, called a proboscis, to slurp up that nectar and store it in a special pouch called a honey stomach. Think of it like a little internal canteen. As she visits flower after flower, her honey stomach fills up.
But here’s where the real magic happens. On the flight back to the hive, those bees add enzymes to the nectar. These enzymes start breaking down the complex sugars in the nectar into simpler sugars, like glucose and fructose. It’s like a pre-digestive process, if you will.
Once back at the hive, the forager bees pass the nectar off to the house bees. These industrious ladies take over, further processing the nectar. They spread it out in the honeycomb cells, which are those beautiful hexagonal wax structures you see in a hive. This increases the surface area, allowing the water in the nectar to evaporate.
Now, Nashville humidity can be a real bear, even for bees! So, they help the evaporation process along by fanning their wings, creating a little breeze within the hive. This reduces the moisture content of the nectar, thickening it and turning it into honey. When the honey reaches the right consistency – about 18% water – the house bees cap the honeycomb cells with a thin layer of beeswax. This seals the honey, preserving it for later.
That’s how our bees make wildflower honey, y’all! It’s a labor of love, a testament to their hard work and the bounty of our Nashville landscape. And because our bees are foraging on such a variety of wildflowers, our honey has a unique flavor profile that changes with the seasons. You might taste notes of clover, or maybe a hint of aster, depending on what’s blooming.
When you buy a jar of Local Nashville Honey, you’re not just getting a sweet treat. You’re getting a taste of Nashville’s natural beauty, handcrafted by our amazing bees. You’re supporting local beekeepers, and you’re helping to keep our pollinators healthy. And let me tell you, that’s something worth buzzin’ about! So, come on down to LocalNashvilleHoney.com, or find us at your local farmers market, and grab yourself a jar of sunshine. You won’t regret it!
