Sweet Life—Why Doesn’t Honey Go Bad?

In the April–June 2023 issue of Kids Answers, we talked about honeybees, the heroes from the hive. God gave honeybees the incredible ability to make the sticky and sweet treat we like to spread on biscuits or add to our tea—honey!

God created bees on day five of creation week, about 6,000 years ago. Bees collect pollen and nectar from plants for food. Pollen provides bees with healthy fat and protein. Nectar provides them with the energy they need for flight.

After they’ve had their fill of nectar, bees store some in their stomach to take back to the hive, where it’s made into honey. Did you know that honey is the only food made by insects that both humans and insects eat? It’s true!

But honey is unique for another reason: It doesn’t expire. In fact, scientists recently discovered what they think is 2,500-year-old honey in an ancient Greek jar.1

How Does Honey Last So Long?

Raw honey (honey in its pure form, straight from a beehive) is high in acidity and contains hardly any water, so bacteria (which can cause food to go bad) can’t grow. If you keep the honey jar sealed tightly and no extra moisture gets added in, it can last for a long, long time!

Did you know that the Bible mentions honey? Psalm 19:9–10 says this:

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

God’s rules, found in the Bible, are more valuable than gold and sweeter than honey! His truth will last forever—far beyond even the oldest honey jar (1 Peter 1:24–25). So next time you spread honey on your biscuit, remember to thank God for creating honeybees, for giving you his Word, and that his promises last forever.

Footnotes

1. Laura Baisas, “Scientists Think This Orange Goo Is 2,500-Year-Old Honey,” Popular Science, July 30, 2025, https://www.popsci.com/science/ancient-greece-honey/.