State Prints - Tn Treasures Too Honeybee

The Honeybee (Apis mellifera) became the "State Agricultural Insect" of Tennessee in (1990). The
honeybee is a social, honeyproducing insect that plays a fundamental role in the production of all
crops. It is also very popular for its production of honey and beeswax. The honeybee plays a vital
economic role in Tennessee through its pollination of various crops, trees, and grasses. The honeybee
is the only insect that can be moved for the express purpose of pollination.

Honey is a thick liquid produced by certain types of bees from the nectar of flowers. While many
species of insects consume nectar, honeybees refine and concentrate nectar to make honey. Indeed,
they make lots of honey so they will have plenty of food for times when flower nectar is unavailable,
such as winter. Unlike most insects, honeybees remain active through the winter, consuming and
metabolizing honey in order to keep from freezing to death. Honey is a natural antibacterial and has
an indefinite shelf-life.