Energy Efficiency of Honey Production by Bees

Abstract

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) from a single hive fly an estimated 15 million km annually to collect flower nectar and pollen. About 29 kcal of food energy are collected for each 1 kcal of energy expended by the bees. When surplus honey of the hive is collected and processed for human consumption, the production system is up to 2½ times more energy efficient than the production system for sugar.