According to German honey regulations, honey is a fluid or crystalline foodstuff that is produced by bees. The basic components are therefore purely plant-derived: bees collect nectar (sweet secretions of plants) or honeydew (secretions from plant lice) and add their own secretions. In the honeycomb of the beehive, the honey then "ripens". The compounds responsible for the typical taste and aroma of honey develop thereby and the plant-based sugar and starches are split into their basic components (maltose, glucose, fructose). In addition to nectar, bees also transport pollen on their hind legs and this pollen also is contained in comestible honey.
The aroma, colour and taste of the honey is determined by the plants from which the bees have collected nectar and other secretions.