How do bees make honey?

Worker bees gather nectar from flowers and carry it back to the hive in a special stomach called the crop. Enzymes begin changing the nectar’s sugars, and then bees pass it to other workers or deposit it into wax cells. Bees fan the comb with their wings to evaporate much of the water, turning the thin nectar into a concentrated food source. Once the honey is thick enough, bees cap the cell with wax for long-term storage. Honey can last a very long time because its low water content and acidity make it hard for microbes to grow.