The diagram illustrates the process of producing honey on a small commercial scale.
Overall, the production consists of two main phases: a natural stage carried out by bees and a processing stage handled by humans before the product is sold.
In the first phase, bees collect nectar from flowers and transport it back to the hive. The nectar is deposited into wax cells, where it is initially quite liquid. Worker bees then fan their wings to reduce the moisture content, causing the substance to thicken. Once the honey reaches the required consistency, the cells are sealed with wax to keep them clean. These sealed honeycombs are later harvested and taken for further processing.
In the human phase, the honeycombs are pressed to extract the honey. The liquid is poured into a sump tank and heated to approximately 45-50°C so that it can flow more easily. It then passes through a sieve tank to remove impurities before being transferred to a settling tank, where it remains for two to four days. Finally, the finished honey is poured into jars, labelled, and distributed for sale.