Nectar

Definition of Nectar

A sweet liquid produced in the gland like organ called nectarines in the flower or outside the flower

More About Nectar

  • Nectar is a sugar solution that consists of 80% water and 20% sugar
  • Nectar is a mixture of various chemicals in addition to glucose, fructose and sucrose
  • The quality of the nectar depends on the nectar source that is the type of vegetation and the flowering period in the plants
  • The sugar content also varies depending upon the plant species, the climatic conditions, soil, etc
  • The factors affecting the secretion of nectar include fertility, soil conditions, altitude, latitude, duration of sunlight per day and weather
  • Bees, insects, butterflies that act as pollinators, feed on the nectar
  • A mutual relationship exists between the insects (that feed on nectar) and the flower
  • The bees and other insects that visit the flower obtain their nutritional needs from the flower in the form of nectar, in turn the pollen grains attaches to the visitor’s body and gets carried away for pollination
  • Pollination helps the plants for reproduction
  • Nectar is stored as fat deposits in some butterflies during the favourable period and is utilised during winters
  • Birds that feed on nectar are known as Nectarivorous birds. Example: Hummingbird
  • Honey bees convert the nectar into the honey in the beehive through a process called as Regurgitation
  • While travelling, honey bees tend to store the nectar in the honey sac that contains enzyme invertase
  • This enzyme converts the complex sugars into simple sugars, which is then disgorged into the hives, once they return to their hives
  • Later, the bees work upon reducing the water content of the nectar to make it concentrated by dehydration
  • This is done by the work bees, which continuously keep fanning the bee hive
  • Dehydration with added enzymes prevents the fermentation of the Honey
  • Studies on the nectar analysis and techniques related to them have been developed