Every person has heard about the beneficial properties of bee honey, but few people know about the existence of aspen honey. Not all species of wasps produce a fragrant, tasty product; honey-bearing types of insects are not found in Russia. Our wasps are much more aggressive than their southern counterparts; it is impossible to get honey from their nest, and its quantity is minimal. However, information about the properties of the product and its composition will certainly interest readers.
Do wasps make honey?
Wasps are the closest relatives of bees. They also feed on nectar and are able to pollinate plants.This is why the question arises whether wasps produce honey. Only southern species of insects are capable of producing the substance. It is produced in quantities suitable for collection by 2 species of Hymenoptera:
- The Mexican honey wasp can be found in the southern United States and Mexico. Large nests are located in the crowns of trees; insects construct them from paper, which is produced by chewing wood and fermenting it with their own saliva.
- Polybia occidentalis, another species of honey wasp. They produce a product from nectar and store it for food for the winter. Insects also live in Mexico and the southern states of the United States.
The substance that insects produce is not honey in the traditional sense. Bees use their proboscis to collect nectar and add a large amount of enzymes contained in saliva to the product. Wasps bring nectar into the home on their paws, remaining on the walls of the nest, after some time it turns into an aromatic sweet substance that can be eaten by people.
Composition and appearance of the product
Insects collect nectar from plants closest to the nest. Therefore, aspen honey has a unique taste and smell. It is an aromatic substance with a high pollen content.
Important: plants located near a wasp nest can be poisonous, in which case the product will be dangerous to humans.
The substance does not contain the healing properties inherent in bee honey, but it is tasty, sweet, with a bright aroma of flowers. Features of wasp honey:
- thick substance of dark color;
- high protein and sugar content;
- increased pollen content;
- quickly crystallizes, maintaining taste;
- has a pronounced floral aroma.
It is rich in calcium and minerals, but hymenoptera predators do not produce the substance in large quantities, so few people have had the chance to try it, especially in our latitudes.
How is it different from bees?
Wasps produce the substance little by little; the product has no industrial significance. Insects do not add enzymes to the collected substance, so it differs significantly from bees in composition and does not have pronounced healing properties.
Bees collect flower nectar using their proboscis; enzymes from the salivary glands of insects enter the finished product, providing bee honey with a unique composition. Bees are hard workers - they produce a significant amount of valuable product, providing for their own family and generously sharing with humans.
Wasps do not specially prepare the substance; they produce it in small quantities; the malicious nature of the insects makes extraction a complex process, so it is practically not found on sale.
Benefits and contraindications of wasp honey
The sweetness produced by wasps contains proteins, mineral elements (a significant amount of calcium), fructose, and pollen. The substance is nutritious, but is not used in folk medicine. It is contraindicated for people prone to allergic reactions and diabetes.
Aspen honey is used as food; it is used in cosmetology for the production of anti-aging masks and creams due to its high content of antioxidants, which provide the skin with protection against aging.
A small amount of sweets collected by insects for their own needs may contain pollen from poisonous plants; such a product can easily be poisoned by humans.
How to spot a fake
Natural aspen honey is brought in small quantities from America. It is almost impossible to buy sweets in our country. The fake has no nutritional value, usually it is dark molasses, sweet, but does not contain useful elements. Natural nectar dries quickly and crystallizes. Conventional bee honey is much more beneficial for humans.
Terms and rules for storing the product
Store the sweet in a cool place under a tight lid. Crystallizing, it does not lose its qualities.
Of course, the information that not only bees produce a familiar and favorite delicacy is interesting for people, but most will never try a product produced by wasps. You should not be sad about this, because the familiar and beloved bee honey is more accessible and useful for humans.
