The striped insects belong to the same family as the bees, the Hymenoptera. Many are interested in the question whether wasps collect honey or not, do wasps collect nectar, or can only certain species of insects do this? It is known that in Central America and African countries, people are engaged in their breeding in order to obtain wasp honey. The fact is that adults, just like bees, feed on nectar and pollinate flowers. That is why they are also capable of creating honey. The wasp product differs from the bee product in its beneficial properties, taste characteristics, quality and quantity.

The consistency of aspen honey is very thick, viscous, based on pollen. The smell is quite pleasant. In comparison with bee, which is formed in huge quantities, this product is very small. It practically does not contain useful enzymes, while there is plenty of sugar and protein in it. It also contains calcium and minerals. In general, wasp honey does not have a special meaning for the human body.

Wasp

Is the wasp honey

When asked whether wasps make honey, many will answer unequivocally "no", but not everything is so simple. The type of wasp that is capable of producing sweetness is called Polybia Occidentalis. They not only create a sweet product, but also store it and store it for the winter. Only adults make honey. Their diet includes juices of ripe fruits and vegetables, flower nectar. The larvae feed mainly on protein foods. Parents hunt small insects, spiders, flies and even bees for them.

Note! It is noteworthy that the wasps prefer to consume the treat rather than create it. Whole families, they attack bee hives, ruining their reserves in one such "raid". They drag the caught bees to their hive and feed them to the larvae. At the same time, they do not take honey, so it practically does not exist in an aspen dwelling.

At the same time, a small layer of honey mass is formed over time on the walls of the hive and in the cells of the honeycomb. Thus, the wasps do not bother themselves with the creation of a sweet product. Sugar bloom forms by itself, as a rule, after the insect has eaten pollen on the flower. It turns out that the answer to the question whether wasps make honey or not is now obvious: no, they don't. But at the same time, another question, whether wasp honey exists, has the right to an affirmative answer: yes, it happens.

What does wasp honey taste like?

Why doesn't honey smell

This product is a single pollen nectar. It accumulates in the wasp combs. The product is very aromatic, fragrant, but crystallizes much faster than bee.

In search of flowers, insects fly around the area and carefully explore it. The fact is that wasps, like bees, try to collect nectar from those plants that are as close as possible to their nest. For this reason, the taste of the product depends mainly on which plants are located next to the wasp hive.

Is it possible to eat wasp honey

Having found out whether the wasps have honey, another logical question arises: can it be consumed as food?

Honey

White honey - what is it made of

A dense, aromatic mixture of pollen and nectar with a pleasant floral scent contains many plant-based nutrients. However, despite this, the wasp product is significantly inferior to the bee product in many respects. Sweet honey, which, conventionally speaking, is made by wasps, has a pleasant taste and rich aroma, and yet it cannot be compared with the classic version.In addition, the nutritional value, even with high sugar and protein content, is very low. It contains no enzymes, with the help of which bees process flower nectar and create a product familiar in its taste and consistency.

Important! Wasp honey crystallizes very quickly, losing its viscosity. The taste is not very sweet and is not as useful in properties as bee. In fact, it practically does not differ from the original raw material - the very nectar that is contained in the flower bud.

The above characteristics do not mean at all that wasp honey is forbidden to eat. It is quite edible and healthy to a certain extent. It should also be remembered that a product obtained as a result of collecting flower sap and pollen from poisonous crops can provoke serious poisoning in a person.

Whether to look for honey in an aspen nest in Russia

Candied honey

The Slavic and other peoples living on the territory of Russia have never had such a concept as "wasp honey". This expression was used figuratively, and also used as the name of alcoholic beverages made on the basis of a beekeeping product.

Note! The harsh Russian climate, as well as the climate of other countries located close to Russia, is not suitable for melliferous wasp species. And even more so, no one here is engaged in breeding these insects for the purpose of obtaining a sweet product.

In common wasp hives, you can see a thin layer of nectar accumulated on the walls of the dwelling. This is nothing more than the result of the collection of flower and fruit juices by insects. However, the total mass of nectar reserves is very small, and only in exceptional cases can it reach 20-30 g. Such a layer, as mentioned earlier, is formed by chance, due to the fact that insects, collecting pollen and nectar for their own consumption, bring their particles to their paws straight into the hive. Over time, the nectar accumulated on the walls of the nest matures and becomes similar to a classic product.

Bumblebee honey

Do wasps and bumblebees give honey like bees? As for the former, everything is clear with them. Bumblebees collect flower nectar and make honey as a result of its processing. Since insects do not carry out volumetric reserves, the amount of sweetness is small. The main purpose of the bumblebee nectar is to feed the larvae and maintain the vital processes of the entire hive.

Bumblebee

For humans, this product is very useful, since its quantity is very limited, and the benefits for the body are undeniable. Bumblebee honey is a very expensive and rare product.

Few people are engaged in its extraction, and therefore it can be very false to find a seller. Nevertheless, it is quite possible to purchase this product, it can be done via the Internet.

The product is characterized by the following properties:

  • the liquid consistency makes it look like syrup;
  • the proportion of honey is very low;
  • contains a variety of pollen (including plants such as purpurea and red clover);
  • the honeycombs have an unusual shape, in appearance they resemble jugs (while their capacity is much inferior to the number of honeycombs).

The small amount of honey reserves is also due to the short lifespan of these insects. They do not need to develop and stockpile a product in large quantities.

Note! Unlike wasps, bumblebees deliberately collect pollen in case they cannot get the required amount of sap directly from the flower.

Hornet honey

Do hornets give honey? No, since these insects are predators, and they do not produce honey, just like wasps, although the latter have it. The flower product, as a result of the vital activity of these insects, accumulates in the hives and, when ripe, becomes similar to ordinary, classic honey. It can be eaten, it is quite tasty and, to a certain extent, healthy. But there is very little of it, so it's not worth wasting time on getting ready.

Having figured out whether wasps have honey and what it tastes like, you can set a goal and find an unusual delicacy.