CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to distinguish the types of bees? ? ? ?

It is rarely classified according to bee species, because the honey produced by different types of bees has basically the same composition and there is not much difference.

There are many types of honey in my country, mainly single-flower honey.

1. Classification by source

We know that when bees make honey, the source of the "processed raw materials" they collect is mainly nectar, but when the nectar source is scarce, bees will also collect nectar or honeydew. Therefore, we divide honey into natural honey and nectar honey.

Natural honey is brewed by bees collecting nectar from flowers. They come from the nectaries inside or outside the flowers of plants. Usually, what we call honey refers to natural honey. Because it comes from different nectar plants, it is divided into various single flower honeys based on the flowering period of a certain plant, such as litchi honey, acacia honey, astragalus honey, rapeseed honey, jujube honey, wild osmanthus honey, longan honey, linden honey, etc.

Although bees collect nectar from only one type of plant at a certain time, most honeys often contain pollen or nectar from several types of plants. For example, in the south, the late blooming of lychee is followed by longan flowers, and the late blooming of rapeseed is followed by the blooming of astragalus. Therefore, longan honey must contain lychee honey, and astragalus honey must contain a small amount of rapeseed honey at the end of the nectar flow. In general, honey is named after the name of one or several main sources of flowers. Generally speaking, a single flower nectar is the pollen ratio of the nectar source plant that is dominant. For example, in the lime tree honey in the northeast, lime tree pollen should be absolutely dominant. However, there are also many honeys obtained from plants that bloom at the same time. Because it contains more than two kinds of pollen mixed together, it is generally called mixed flower honey, or hundred flower honey.

Before people knew about nectar plants, they only divided honey into spring honey, summer honey, autumn honey and winter honey based on the production season.

Nectar honey is made from nectar collected by bees from the leaves or stems of plants or from insect metabolites - nectar. Aphids absorb the sap of plants and pass it through the digestive system to absorb the protein and sugar in it. They then excrete the excess sugar and water and sprinkle them on the branches and leaves of the plants. The bees use it as raw material to make nectar honey.

2. Classification by physical state

At room temperature and pressure, honey has two different physical states, liquid and crystalline (regardless of whether the honey is stored in the honeycomb or separated from the honeycomb). Generally, the honey just separated is liquid, clear and transparent with good fluidity. After being left for a period of time or at low temperatures, most honey forms solid crystals. Therefore, people usually divide it into liquid honey and crystallized honey.

Crystallized honey can be divided into large crystals, small crystals and greasy crystals due to the different sizes of crystals. Crystals with a diameter of more than 0.5 microns are large crystals; those with a diameter of less than 0.5 microns are small crystals; crystals that are very small and seem to be homogeneous are called greasy crystals or oily crystals.

3. Classification by production method

According to the different production methods of honey, it can be divided into separated honey and comb honey.

Separated honey, also known as centrifugal honey or machine honey, is honey that is taken out of the honeycomb, placed in a honey shaker, shaken out by centrifugal force, and filtered, or separated from the honey by other methods. This fresh honey is generally in a transparent liquid state. Some separated honeys will crystallize after a period of time, such as rapeseed honey that will crystallize soon after being taken out. Some honeys will only crystallize at low temperatures or after a period of time.

Comb honey, also known as grid honey, is a honey block made with honeycombs and honeycombs in standardized beehives using the biological characteristics of bees. Comb honey has both the effect of separated honey and the characteristics of beehives. It is a natural honey product known as the most perfect and high-end. People can produce single honey in different formats according to the honey flow rules of nectar plants and the habit of bees to cap honey combs. A nest frame can be divided into 4, 8, or 12 pieces. Experiments have shown that as long as there is sufficient nectar from the outside, bees can make cards, fill honey, and cap them regardless of the size of the grid. The larger the area of ​​the single honey block, the faster it will be capped. The honey comb sold on the market is made of transparent non-toxic hard plastic into grids of different sizes and shapes, or the sealed full honey brand is cut into honey blocks of a certain shape with a knife and packed in hard plastic boxes. First, a certain format of nesting frames is made, and then small pieces of honey foundation are embedded in the grids. After the nesting frames are put into the honey-collecting group, the bees are allowed to build honeycombs in the grids, store honey, and seal the honey comb. The honey comb can be double-sided or single-sided. After the honey comb is brewed into specifications, the mature honey blocks are taken out, boxed and packaged, and it becomes the commercial honey comb on the market.

4. Classify by color

The color of honey varies greatly depending on the type of nectar plant. Whether it is a single flower or a mixed honey, it has a certain color, and often the lighter honey has a better taste and smell. Therefore, the color of honey can be used as a basis for honey classification, and it can also be used as one of the indicators to measure the quality of honey. It is generally believed that light-colored honey is mostly better than dark-colored honey in quality. In the international market, honey is divided into special honey (single flower honey) and mixed honey. There are differences in color between honeys, which are divided into 7 grades: water white, special white, white, special light amber, light amber, amber and dark amber. The basis for distinguishing colors is the Profante colorimeter. According to the Profante colorimeter readings, the grades are as follows:

Water White 8 MM

Extra White 8-17 MM

White 17-34 MM

Extra light amber 34-50 MM

Light amber 50-85 MM

Amber 85-114 MM

Dark amber 114-140MM