Re: is there a method how to produce honey with out bees?

hi BlenAbiy,

Honey is produced through the action of enzymes in a bee stomach on the complex sugars found in nectar. In theory, you could replicate some of these reactions in vitro to generate a thick syrup not unlike honey, or even use a chemical process - see this web page for some of the chemistry involved.

However, real honey is a complex mixture that only bees can produce. My partner works in a bee lab, so I forwarded your question and have included her reply below.

Honey is from nectar not pollen. Bees forage nectar and pollen but 
store them separately. Honey contains fructose, glucose, water (plus 
enzymes, minerals, vitamins, aa's etc), it probably has traces of 
pollen but it is not made of pollen. The bees forage the nectar and 
digest it a little, put in it the cells and evaporate some of the 
water off it by fanning.  Pollen is sold in health food stores as a 
supplement, so I guess some people eat it. Apparently there is a 
fructose/cornsyrup mix that can sometimes be used as "artificial 
honey" but it doesn't taste like real honey. And I guess honey varies 
a lot depending on the nectar foraged.

Neil