Geographical, Entomological and Botanical Origins of Honey

The Codex Alimentarius Commission defines honey as: “… the natural sweet substance produced by honey bees from the nectar of plants … which the bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature”. Honey, produced in all regions of the world varies widely in its chemical and physical properties, which depend on the plants the bees visit and on the species of Apis themselves. The Codex sets standards for the composition of honeys, levels of contaminants permitted, and the correct labelling according to floral source and geographic origin. The growth of stingless bee (Meliponidae) domestication in Central and South America, Asia and Australia has led to another significant source of honey, which is very variable in its properties. Here I review of the properties of honeys and the techniques used to analyze the geographical, entomological and botanical origins of honey, discuss some of the properties and features of the honeys made by the stingless bees, and discuss unusual honeys, the so-called “mad honeys”, made from nectar containing toxic compounds, and the effect of toxic nectar on bees (bumble bees) and humans.