The Sweetness of Honey from Small Bees

Honey. That delicious, golden syrup that makes everything it touches a little bit sweeter. Honey has been prized by humans for millennia, but where exactly does this sweet nectar come from? The answer might surprise you – some of the best honey comes not from large honey bees, but actually from small, solitary bees!

In this article, we’ll explore the unique qualities of honey made by small bees, the different types of small bees that produce honey, and why their honey stands out. We’ll also cover how small bee honey is harvested sustainably, and its multiple health and culinary benefits. Read on to learn all about how small bees make honey that’s good for you and the environment.

When you imagine a bee you likely think of the large, fuzzy honey bees living in massive hives. However there are actually over 20,000 species of bees globally, and most are solitary, small bees! Some examples of small bee families include

• Mining bees
• Mason bees
• Leafcutter bees
• Carpenter bees
• Sweat bees

These bees don’t live in big colonies. Instead, they live alone, making individual nests. Small bees play a vital role as pollinators in ecosystems by transferring pollen between flowering plants as they collect nectar and pollen for their own consumption.

Many small bee species create and store excess pollen and nectar, which we call honey. Small bees are extremely efficient at packing away honey in their nests, ensuring they have provisions through seasons when flowers are not blooming.

Why Small Bee Honey Stands Out

Though all bee honey offers nutrition and sweetness, small bee honey has some unique qualities that set it apart:

Diverse Botanical Origins

Honey bees typically collect nectar from large stands of the same types of flower, like clover or wildflowers, resulting in monofloral honey. Small bees forage on a much wider variety of bloom sources. This means small bee honey often contains nectar from many different flower species, creating honey with depth and complexity.

Vibrant Flavor Profiles

With nectar sourced from diverse flowers, small bee honey captures an array of flavors Depending on the vegetation in their habitat, small bee honey can exhibit notes ranging from rich and molasses-like to bright and citrusy This makes it an extremely versatile ingredient.

High Enzyme Levels

Enzymes are an important part of what gives honey its unique properties. Small bee honey tends to have higher enzyme content compared to honey bee honey. This is likely because small bees don’t process nectar as extensively before capping cells in their nests. More enzymes means increased antibacterial potency.

Abundant Nutrients

Small bee honey also contains plentiful amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins like riboflavin and niacin, and minerals like calcium, potassium, and selenium. This impressive nutrition profile provides health benefits ranging from immune system support to wound healing.

Low Moisture Content

Solitary bees are very efficient at dehydrating nectar into thick, concentrated honey. Their honey often has 14% moisture or less, while honey bee honey generally has 17-20% moisture content. The lower moisture levels make small bee honey resistant to spoilage and fermentation.

Meet the Small Bee Producers of Honey

Many types of small bees make exquisite honey. Here are some of the major small bee producers and their identifying traits:

Mason Bees

There are around 140 species of mason bees. They get their name from their habit of using mud or other “masonry” material to build nests. Common species include blue orchard mason bees and Japanese hornfaced bees. Mason bees are excellent pollinators for fruit trees and early spring blooms. Their honey has a mild, sweet flavor.

Mining Bees

Over 1,600 species of mining bee exist. They are called mining bees because they burrow tunnels in soil or sand to nest. They are important pollinators for wildflowers, vegetables, and orchard fruits. Mining bees produce honey with earthy, spicy notes.

Leafcutter Bees

Leafcutter beesslice circular pieces of leaves to build protective nests. There are over 1,400 leafcutter bee species, like the alfalfa leafcutter. Leafcutter bees pollinate crops like tomatoes and alfalfa. Their honey has a complex, fruity taste.

Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees get their name from drilling nesting tunnels into wood. There are 500-700 species, including bumble bees. They pollinate passionflowers, pumpkins, and other plants. Carpenter bees make honey with a sweet,green, woody flavor.

Sweat Bees

Over1000 sweat bee species exist. They are attracted to human perspiration. Sweat bees such as Augochlora pura support pollination for crops like blueberries. Their honey has tangy, bright citrus notes.

Sustainably Harvesting Small Bee Honey

Responsibly gathering honey from small bees requires care. Small bees store honey in individual brood cells in nests, rather than large combs. To harvest their honey, beekeepers use one of two methods:

Draining Honey from Nests

Special small hive boxes with removable nesting blocks are used. The small bees fill the nesting holes with honey. At season end, the blocks are removed and spun in an extractor to drain honey from the cells while keeping nests intact for the bees to reuse.

Cutting Brood Cells

Entire brood cell blocks are cut out from nesting materials. The brood cell caps are sliced off to extract the honey, and the emptied cells placed back near nest sites. The small bees will then clean out and reuse the empty cells.

Both approaches allow for honey harvesting without destroying entire small bee nests. Bees can continue re-populating the reused cells and holes. This sustainable harvesting supports small bee conservation.

Benefits of Small Bee Honey

The honey produced by small bees offers some great perks:

• Nutrition – With high levels of enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, small bee honey provides nourishment that boosts immunity, energy, heart health, and more. It contains more nutrients than typical honey bee honey.

• Healing Properties – Small bee honey has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory effects. This aids healing for burns, wounds, rashes, coughs, and congestion.

• Culinary Uses – The dynamic flavor profiles of small bee honey let it shine in sweet and savory recipes. It’s delicious in salad dressings, sauces, marinades, teas, baked goods, and more.

• Environmental Support – Harvesting small bee honey sustainably aids conservation of thousands of small bee species that are vital pollinators for plants. Their honey production helps propagate bee-friendly environments.

So next time you’re shopping for honey, keep an eye out for small bee varieties! Both your taste buds and the earth will thank you for indulging in the diverse flavors and sustainability of honey straight from small bees.