{"id":3622,"date":"2023-08-25T15:39:41","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T07:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/?p=3622"},"modified":"2023-09-19T20:10:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T12:10:28","slug":"is-honey-bee-vomit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/is-honey-bee-vomit\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Honey Bee Vomit?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>No, honey is not bee vomit. This is a common misconception since like vomit, bees expel honey from their mouths. However, the expulsion of honey involves a process very different from vomiting. Technically, honey is regurgitated, not vomited.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll learn more about why honey isn\u2019t bee vomit as we discuss the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Why is honey not bee vomit?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How bees make honey<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/is-honey-bee-vomit-1024x536.png\" alt=\"is honey bee vomit\" class=\"wp-image-3624\" style=\"width:787px;height:412px\" width=\"787\" height=\"412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/is-honey-bee-vomit-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/is-honey-bee-vomit-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/is-honey-bee-vomit-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/is-honey-bee-vomit.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 787px) 100vw, 787px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/liquid-yellow-honey-in-a-glass-jar-5634206\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/liquid-yellow-honey-in-a-glass-jar-5634206\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Photo<\/a> by Adonyi G\u00e1bor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_63 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/is-honey-bee-vomit\/#Why_is_Honey_Not_Bee_Vomit\" title=\"Why is Honey Not Bee Vomit?\">Why is Honey Not Bee Vomit?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/is-honey-bee-vomit\/#The_Digestive_Stomach\" title=\"The Digestive Stomach\">The Digestive Stomach<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/is-honey-bee-vomit\/#How_Do_Bees_Make_Honey\" title=\"How Do Bees Make Honey?\">How Do Bees Make Honey?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/is-honey-bee-vomit\/#Related_Questions\" title=\"Related Questions\">Related Questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/is-honey-bee-vomit\/#How_Many_Stomachs_Does_a_Bee_Have\" title=\"How Many Stomachs Does a Bee Have?\">How Many Stomachs Does a Bee Have?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/is-honey-bee-vomit\/#What_Happens_to_the_Nectar_in_the_Honey_Stomach\" title=\"What Happens to the Nectar in the Honey Stomach?\">What Happens to the Nectar in the Honey Stomach?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/is-honey-bee-vomit\/#Is_Honey_Bee_Poop\" title=\"Is Honey Bee Poop?\">Is Honey Bee Poop?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/is-honey-bee-vomit\/#Summary_Is_Honey_Bee_Vomit\" title=\"Summary: Is Honey Bee Vomit?\">Summary: Is Honey Bee Vomit?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_Honey_Not_Bee_Vomit\"><\/span>Why is Honey Not Bee Vomit?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While similar, vomit and regurgitation technically differ. By definition, vomit is matter expelled from the stomach. In contrast, regurgitation involves the expulsion of contents from the esophagus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a key distinction as <strong>honey isn&#8217;t expelled from the stomach. It&#8217;s expelled from the crop.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This crop is a specialized organ in the bee\u2019s esophagus. It\u2019s otherwise known as the honey stomach but isn\u2019t used for digestion. Instead, it\u2019s designed for storing nectar until it\u2019s taken back to the hive and regurgitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply put, the nectar used to make <strong>honey never actually makes it to the digestive stomach<\/strong>. It doesn\u2019t undergo digestion and thus, is inaccurate to call vomit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Digestive_Stomach\"><\/span>The Digestive Stomach<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Bees have a digestive stomach called the <strong>ventriculus or mid-gut<\/strong>. This stomach occurs after the crop and is separated from it by the proventriculus. [<a href=\"https:\/\/genent.cals.ncsu.edu\/bug-bytes\/digestive-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/genent.cals.ncsu.edu\/bug-bytes\/digestive-system\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This proventriculus is an organ that regulates the opening between the two stomachs. It&#8217;s also a one-way valve. Meaning, <strong>food that enters the ventriculus can&#8217;t go ack to the crop<\/strong> much more out of the mouth. It&#8217;s technically impossible for bees to vomit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_Bees_Make_Honey\"><\/span>How Do Bees Make Honey?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/which-animals-are-related-to-ants-3-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/which-animals-are-related-to-ants-3-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/which-animals-are-related-to-ants-3-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/which-animals-are-related-to-ants-3-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/which-animals-are-related-to-ants-3.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image by <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/users\/francok35-631285\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=795317\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">FRANCO PATRIZIA<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=795317\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Honey-making is a <strong>multi-step process<\/strong>. It starts with <strong>bees collecting nectar<\/strong> from flowers using their mouthparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From these mouthparts, the nectar then makes its way and gets <strong>stored in the crop<\/strong> or honey stomach. While there, enzymes break down the nectar into simple sugars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the bees get back to the hive, they <strong>regurgitate the nectar<\/strong> and pass it on to house bees via trophallaxis. These house bees then <strong>deposit the nectar into the honeycomb<\/strong> cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Afterward, the bees fan the honeycomb with their wings to <strong>remove extra water<\/strong> from the nectar. When most of the water has evaporated, the bees <strong>seal the honeycomb with a wax capping<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once sealed, the honey can last indefinitely for bees to feed on as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Questions\"><\/span>Related Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/are-ants-attracted-to-honey3-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2564\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/are-ants-attracted-to-honey3-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/are-ants-attracted-to-honey3-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/are-ants-attracted-to-honey3-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/are-ants-attracted-to-honey3.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image by <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/users\/pollydot-160618\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=337695\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">PollyDot<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=337695\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Many_Stomachs_Does_a_Bee_Have\"><\/span>How Many Stomachs Does a Bee Have?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Bees have <strong>two stomachs<\/strong>, one for digestion and one for storing nectar. As you already know the latter is called the honey stomach or the crop. This honey stomach serves as a storage organ until it&#8217;s processed into honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The digestive stomach, on the other hand, is called the ventriculus. This stomach occurs after the honey stomach. It&#8217;s responsible for breaking down food and extracting nutrients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These 2 stomachs are separated by a valve. This valve ensures that nectar does not mix with digested food. This separation allows bees to produce honey without affecting digestion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Happens_to_the_Nectar_in_the_Honey_Stomach\"><\/span>What Happens to the Nectar in the Honey Stomach?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The nectar in the honey stomach is <strong>broken down by the enzyme invertase.<\/strong> This enzyme<strong> converts sucrose into the simpler sugars glucose and fructose<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Honey_Bee_Poop\"><\/span>Is Honey Bee Poop?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>No honey, is not bee poop. Similar to vomit, <strong>poop involves digested food<\/strong>. Honey, again, never makes it to the digestive stomach and therefore, can&#8217;t be poop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary_Is_Honey_Bee_Vomit\"><\/span>Summary: Is Honey Bee Vomit?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To summarize, no honey is not bee vomit. Vomit is defined as matter expelled from the stomach. Honey never makes it to the digestive stomach. It only gets stored in the honey stomach or crop. While it\u2019s called a honey stomach, it\u2019s actually part of the esophagus. Therefore, honey is technically expelled from the esophagus or regurgitated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No, honey is not bee vomit. This is a common misconception since like vomit, bees expel honey from their mouths. However, the expulsion of honey involves a process very different from vomiting. Technically, honey is regurgitated, not vomited. In this article, we\u2019ll learn more about why honey isn\u2019t bee vomit as we discuss the following:&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3622"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3622"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3676,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3622\/revisions\/3676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}