Everyone knows about bees, right? They fly, collect pollen, produce honey and gather nectar to feed their younglings. At least that's what majority of them does in their work time. But in South America there are some, three to be exact, species of bees that really have extraordinary diet compared to their relatives. They are necrophages so in other words they prefer carrion but sometimes even fresh meat will suffice.
The photo present the closest cousin to vulture bees I could find on the internet. They are scavengers, so most of their time they fly in search for other dead bugs like wasps. Bee pickers eat carrion and transport it within their stomach to then "vomit" it inside their hive where the worker creates edible substance that resembles honey we all know and love. But should we eat it the same way?
I couldn't find information whether people breed those bees the same way honey bees are bred all around the world. So it is hard to know how many people actually tried it. Some scientists after some laboratory tests discovered that this substance is also sweet and have anti-bacterial properties like normal honey, though they didn't state whether they eat it or not.
Vulture bees likes fresh meat as well! It is stated that some of them search for abandoned hives of other insects only to go in and in a few hours eat every single alive larva or youngling in the area and transport them in order to feed their own.
Some questions for the topic:
1. Have you heard about that type of bees before? Are you surprised about their existence?
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
Comments
No, unfortunately, I have never heard about this type of bees. To be honest, I am not very surprised, however the fact that they can produce the substance which is edible is very interesting and surprising, I doubt if i would try it.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
As I answered before: I doubt. Honey bees collect pollen from flowers and in this regard, honey is the main product, and in no way should be considered waste. For clarification, bees don't consume nectar into their digestive tract. Nectar is stored in a separate reservoir in the bee's body.However, here is the different story as I understand and these are the vomits which are made into edible substance and sounds disgusting, correct me if I get it in a wrong way.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
And be transmitted from bees as well? Because my imagination is really broad:)
To be honest i have never been interested about bees. I have a friend who has apiary. When i will meet him we will talk about it. :)
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
If i will see this in the shop maybe i will grab one but probably i won't especially look for it.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
Of course, i am not sure but i think i heard about royal jelly it is like a milk from bee.
That's what I heard about them. All three species of vulture bees produce sweet, pure honey, which contains some pollen, but is of unknown origin. All three species are obligatory necrophages. Necrophagia has only developed once among bees in South America.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
If I didn't know where the honey came from, I'd eat it. But if I knew it was honey for bees eating carrion, this honey wouldn't go through my throat.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
I think that these bees could be used for the disposal of meat waste and that honey could be used to produce alcohol for disinfection.
2. I'm not a huge fan of honey, although I like trying new things. To sell meat honey to more people, it should be given a catchy name, for example, ‘high-protein honey’ or ‘honey for real carnivores’.
3. Not really.
2. If it turns out that honey of vultures is edible and does not cause any diseases, I would love to try it. However, I would certainly have some objections. Larvae, worms - all this is disgusting to me, even when I read about it I feel sick.
3. I have never wondered what honey can be made of. Maybe it would be good to use sugar, or use fruit so that it doesn't go to waste. All you have to do is go to the fruit market in Bronisze near Warsaw. A lot of fruit is wasted - they are thrown into containers, it would be better to use them in a different way.
So I heard I'm not surprised by their existence. In Poland, bees also come to meat. This can be especially seen when organizing the barbecue. They are happy to come and sit on meat. So I started reading about it.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
Of course, if someone cooks something and it must be edible. I don't know if it's tasty. But if I see one, I will buy and fix it.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
At present, no, but many things in the world are made of "strange material". Something sooner or later will prove useful for making honey.
2. No, I would not like to try it. Carrion honey sounds discouraging.
3. If I had to choose something, I would pick grapes. It can ferment and maybe it would taste like something mixed between wine and honey what for me is a good combination.
A little bit. Ive watched some videos before about different species of bees. Maybe ive even heard about Vulture bees but i dont remember. Its interesting after all.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
Probably yes. I like tasting new things and im not disgusted by such a things. Im even a little interested in how it taste like.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
I dont know. Im not honey expert. Maybe fruit juice?
I think I haven't heard of them before, but I'm not surprised with them. In natural habitat there are food chain cycles and almost nothing is wasted.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
If it would be sold in a store, I assume it passed all required procedures to be available on a market. If the source would be checked, it's production would be done in ethical way and the price would be approachable, I wouldn't have objections to try it.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
I would be interested in trying a honey made of coffee beans. Or honey made of organic waste from households as long as it would be safe to eat.
I have. Not exactly, I could say that I am more surprised that they have not gone extinct yet.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
I am allergic to regular honey, and I believe that I will be allergic to this specific one as well. Though it would be interesting to try it out.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
No idea. Unfortunately, I was not blessed with an imagination. I even have a form of aphantasia, which makes me not the best person to ask about "Imagine"
2 / Yes, I love, extravagant cuisine and dishes. I would definitely buy a try, at least once.
3 / I think that the production of honey can occur not only with the help of bees but also synthetically created. In my homeland, honey made from cones collected from Christmas trees is quite popular. Therefore, I think that it would be possible to make honey from any products, if you really want to. For example, honey interspersed with gold and minerals or with the aroma of ocean freshness.
No, I haven't. Yes, I was surprised, I didn't know that bees can make honey from something else than pollen.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
Once it would be certain that it's not harmful to humans - yes. Who knows, maybe it's as delicious as "normal" honey. However, I would be a little hesitant, because it also sounds like it could taste disgusting.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
Hmmm, bees that could make honey out of plastic - that would be great. It would be cheap and it would help a little bit with the problem of plastic pollution.
I've heard about bees that produce honey from other sources than pollen, but really from carrion? That is so creepy and not ok! I am not that surprised because there is enough amount of strange things around the earth, which could surprise me like this information, but I got used to strange information, I guess.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
If it would be sure that it is 100% from fresh meat and not from some rotten flesh then why not(ofc only when it would be edible). But I don't think that it would have the good fame, some people would probably try that, but I know for sure that there would be not many of them.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
If they can produce honey from some rotten flesh or just a meat then everything is possible for them. Ok, I used my imagination, and that's the product: Firebees that are producing honey from the embers from a fire. That would be cool, right?
2. Probably not. Even if I do eat polish food ‘Tatar’ from time to time, or bloody steak – bloody honey just doesn’t fit well ;p
3. Well, hard question but let me guess..maybe we can try to make honey from fruits?
2. If you see such honey with meat in the store, although I doubt because I am not a fan of honey, I will not buy it. I'm not particularly curious about how it tastes. However, if I get the opportunity or try by accident, I'm just wondering if I'll be able to distinguish it from the usual honey.
3. What a strange question. I am not a specialist in this field. As I mentioned before, I'm not a fan of honey so I don't use it on a daily basis and I'm not interested in its production. It is 2020 so I am convinced that there are such products, but I have no idea about them :).
No, I have not heard about this kind of bees before. This is really new information for me. I became interested, I additionally read about them on the Internet. It turned out that these are piranhas among insects. Such bees in the amount of 60-80 can leave only bones from the frog in 3 hours.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
I would probably be afraid to be honest. Although if such honey would appear in the store, then it is suitable for consumption, as it meets the food standard. Very controversial issue. I would think carefully.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
May be some synthetic materials. But such honey would certainly not be suitable for eating it.
2. Knowing that it is made from dead insects, i probably wouldn't want to try it.
3. By putting the information about vulture bees into perspective, i can imagine that almost anything can be made into honey, given that it is processed properly.
1. Yes, I've heard about that type of bees before from some YouTube videos about people trying to neutralize those bees sine they are a bit of a problem in the USA. I am not surprised that they exist since nature always surprises us with it's creations.
2. Sure, why not. Honey is honey after all and if it tastes even better than normal honey then I'd be the first one to buy it!
3. Pollen and carrion seem like they are the best options to be made into honey since bees also pollinate flowers by collecting that stuff off them. But I think that meat honey works too. And of course I can think that literally anything could become honey but I would never try honey made of humans. I think that would be too messed up.
2. Why not? Honey is honey! - if to rephrase one popular cartoon. But I think that I would only try it - I'm not into sweet food at all and especially I'm not into honey-eating.
3. Maybe anything, but it would be useful if they could make it from plastic and maybe other kinds of garbage too. You know, rehoneying, saving the planet, and producing food. Best regards to gene engineering.
Never watched vice before, something I will catch up with.
No i never heard about bees like this. I am not so suprised as I am a little interested in insects and I know some kinds of them that are really spectacular.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
Nope, as I am vegetarian.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
I think it could be anything while putting science aside. Honestly In my opinion it would be great idea to turn plastic into honey! New way of dealing with tons of used plastic would be to start eating it.
I've never heard of such bees. Bees in biology acceptance are about 20 thousand
species. I am surprised that among them there are those that only eat meat.
I am surprised that such bees produce honey. And the strangest thing is it tastes the same as flower honey. For me it is very strange.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
I think I would try such honey out of curiosity.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
Hmmm honey from disposable plastic bags and other disposable plastic things. Think about how ecological it would be.
There could also be bees producing honey from radioactive waste.
There would be no more excuses for atomic energy.
I never heard about that type of bees before and yes, I’m surprised about their existence I only heard about killer bees or African bees are they really natural breed I hope no one will bring them to Poland.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
If this meat honey weren't too expensive maybe I could buy it to try out of curiosity, but I don’t believe I would be a fan of this kind of product, “meat honey “it’s just sound not right for me
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
Maybe thunder/electricity, sweet golden honey with tingling sensation on your tongue when eaten and giving you kick with energy for a whole day.
2. Defiantly not, it sounds kinda gross to me.
3. The only thing that comes to my mind would be candies. It would probably make ultra-sweet honey but I would definitely try it
2. Really I doubt that this honey is as sweet as normal honey. It's main sweet source is probably sucrose(not fructose, like in normal honey) and also it comes in much lesser quantities. So this honey is probably fat and slightly sweet, rather than sweet. Also it's gross. I wouldn't try.
3. Honey from water sounds great.
I watched a movie about fights of bees and there was some information about this kind, so I'm not surprised about their existence. What is more interesting is that there is one kind of ants (I don't remember how it is called) which steals larvae of another kind of ants, grows them and makes them slaves.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
For sure, not. I wouldn't try it in any case.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
It would be great, if it was plastic, but it is impossible.
I have heard about vulture bees before, from some video on youtube. I was very surprised and fascinated about them.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
I would definitely try it! I think it would be very interesting culinary experience, and I wouldn’t miss it.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
I heard about some bees, which honey turned blue. It was because they have turned some MM’s shells into honey because the MM’s processing plant was located nearby.
No, it's the first time I hear about it. I am really suprised about their existence.
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
Perhaps, why not. I really enjoy to try the new things. It doesn't sound that terrible
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
I don't have any experience in that field so it's hard to me to even think about something possible.
No, I haven't. I'm not reallty surprised, because there is a big amount of insects' species which eat other bugs or even their own kind (e.g. some female spiders eat males after mating).
2. If meat honey would show one day in your local store would you like to try it?
Maybe I would but it depends on it's flavour. If it would taste like sweet meat I wouldn't eat it because I just can't stand any type of meat made with honey or other sweet ingredients.
3. Using your imagination and putting science aside can you think about other product than pollen and carrion that could be made into honey?
Maybe fermented or rotten fruits? It could be a little bit like honey-wine or honey-cider at all.
2.I'd probably like to try this honey, because I think everything in life has to be tried.
3.I think we'll be able to use any ingredient to turn it into honey in a couple of years. It's all a matter of time.