Pine honey is the star of Greek honey production, as almost 65% comes from this remarkable tree, which covers large parts of our country's fertile land. The starting point for every production is the honey secretion of Machalina hellenica, an insect that has lived in Greek forests since at least the 18th century. In fact, it was classified under the characteristic genus name (hellenica) in 1883, while the "pine worker"—as the most important honey-bearing insect in Greek beekeeping is also known—is further divided into four parasitic species: Pinus brutia (windpipe), the parasites Pinus halepenesis, Pinus sylvestris, and Pinus pine.
 

 
 Unlike other honeydew insects that feed by sucking sap from leaves, young shoots and fruits, Machalina Hellenica – like the insects that feed on spruce trees – pierces the hard bark of the trunk.
 

 
 From mid-August until the following spring, the insect begins secreting honeydew, which consists of 90–95% sugars such as sucrose and fructose. From August to October, the bees collect, concentrate, and process this honeydew to produce the distinctive honey for which Greek beekeeping is so proud. The quality of the honeydew also depends on the stage of development of the honeydew insect during its production, as well as on weather conditions.
 

 
 Special properties of pine honey
 The nutritional value of pine honey is high thanks to the large number of minerals and trace elements it contains in high concentrations – calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, potassium, and sodium. This is because, as the honeydew passes through the body of the pine worker, it is enriched not only with sugars but also with vitamins, nitrogenous substances, proteins, and amino acids, in higher concentrations than in nectar.
 

 
 Crystallization
 Pine honey has a low glucose content, which is why crystallization takes a long time. In fact, pure pine honey remains liquid for more than a year and a half and differs significantly from honey that is mixed with other types of honey – heather, poplar, sunflower, or polyknot honey – and crystallizes over a period of two to five months.
 

 
 pine honey colour
 The color of pine honey varies depending on the time of year it is produced. Specifically, spring pine honey is lighter and clearer than autumn honey, which has a darker color.
 

 
 Taste and aroma of pine honey
 Pine honey has a woody taste with a strong caramel note. Furthermore, due to its low sugar concentration, pine honey is slightly sweet.
 
 Aromatically, pine honey is characterized by its spicy, iodine-like scent.
 

 
 Other beneficial properties of pine honey
 
 According to official studies, pine honey is an excellent source of antioxidants. Specifically, research conducted in 2007 on various types of honey found that honeys made from honeydew secretions, such as pine honey, have higher antioxidant properties than honeys produced by bees when they feed on flower nectar. Therefore, Greek pine honey is considered the best honey.
 
 The superiority of Greek pine honey is confirmed by another study (2012) which compared the antibacterial activity of 18 types of honey – including the famous Manuka honey: The results of this comparative study showed that pine honey is effective against 5 different bacteria – Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Bacillus sphaericus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Bacillus subtilis.