Bee informed...  

 Bees have lost some of their intrinsic "wildness" as man has bred and attempted to domesticate them over the centuries. The honey-bee is literally just that - the bee that makes honey...for us!

 However it does not take a great leap of imagination to understand that honeybees actually primarily make honey... for themselves

Above & below - honeybees feeding on the honey they have worked to create

Does this really need to be said at all? Is this just "stating the obvious"?

 Many honey-production methods take very little notice of the fact that  the bees make honey for a reason other than just to satisfy our tastebuds! The bees are naturally producing a food that they will come to depend on greatly through the winter months.

 And perhaps the honey itself is far more than just sustenance for the bee colony.

 There is a reason why all creatures do the things that they do. In the natural world there is scant "leisure time", as the simple necessities of providing food and shelter are paramount and time consuming.

 If a bee colony is left to its own devices, that colony will build up a considerable stock of honey throughout the year.

 If that honey is not harvested, where does it go?

 The bees keep it, of course. It is a food source for the colony, and, together with the pollen stores, is used for feeding all the bees.

 The honey itself will be a wonderfully diverse cocktail of all the nectars, from the first flowering blossoms of early Spring, to the last of the Summer flowers as the Autumn approaches. Remembering that there is a reason for all they gather, consider the many different nectars and pollens the bees will store.