Honey, which is made by the eight species of honeybee, is a viscous mixture of sugars and water. It’s stored inside honeycomb cells, which are sealed with wax until the energy-rich liquid is required to feed larvae or help adult bees survive the winter.
If the comb becomes damaged and the honey leaks out, bees can indeed become sticky and even get stuck. Bee expert Prof Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex has seen it happen, but not often. “I think they’re simply very careful when handling honey and meticulously groom off any sticky residues,” he says.
Read more:
- How do bees make honey?
- Why do bees buzz?
- If bees became extinct, what effect would this have on mankind?
- Five fascinating facts about bees
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