# Why does honey not spoil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2003, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106 "2003-02-19T12:07:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/21 "2003-02-19T21:00:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Washte \* > **Honey is fantastic on cuts. As is cayenne pepper and spiderwebbing, but there ya go.** Spiderwebbing? How does that work? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/22 "2003-02-19T21:15:31Z")
Wouldn’t anything that keeps out germs and dirt work great on cuts? ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/23 "2003-02-19T21:48:59Z")
From [www.endtimesreport.com/homerem.html](http://www.endtimesreport.com/homerem.html) > [@](#): > > Spiderwebs contain a substance that is very effective in stopping bleeding and preventing infection. Applying a wad of spiderweb to a fresh cut will stop the bleeding and has been used for that purpose for ages. I’ve read it in a survival book ages and ages ago. I’ll do more checking and see if I can find the exact properties if you’re interested. Yes, **Derleth** , anything that keeps out dirt and germs works great on cuts. However, if you’re hiking through the woods and cut yourself, knowing such tricks and hints can be very useful. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/24 "2003-02-19T23:14:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Washte \* > \*\*Be very careful of zapping the bear in the microwave though, **Meatros**. It heats up very quickly and you’ll risk melting the bear (making a massive gooey mess) and the steam/heat of the honey will scald the skin of you quicker than a gnat can bat its eyelashes. \*\* Don’t put the bear in the microwave. Instead, put the bear in a cup or bowl of hot water. (Much safer that way!) You’ll need to do this every time you want to use the honey, though, as it will crystalize again when it cools. I saved my sister-in-law’s honey bear a few weeks ago by using that trick! (Sorry, **Meatros** –I guess I can’t save them all :). ) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/25 "2003-02-19T23:15:57Z")
When people mention honey I mention bee vomit. Hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![SojournerSamson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SojournerSamson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SojournerSamson)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/26 "2003-02-19T23:52:30Z")
My new “little honey bear” has a bee included. Some wag tried to convince me every container of that brand features a bee, meant to be consumed, in imitation of a Tequila worm. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/27 "2003-02-20T00:43:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Washte \* > \*\*Be very careful of zapping the bear in the microwave though, **Meatros**. It heats up very quickly and you’ll risk melting the bear (making a massive gooey mess) and the steam/heat of the honey will scald the skin of you quicker than a gnat can bat its eyelashes. \*\* I hadn’t even considered the possible damage to my bear’s skin. A steamy pile of goo would hardly go good on an english muffin… **Tamex** -Don’t worry about it. One bear might have died, but thanks to the advice on this thread, countless generations of bears will live…at least as long as it takes me to suck out their life-force…hehehehe… ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/28 "2003-02-20T01:31:09Z")
It all comes down to water activity, a measure of how much water is available for growth in a substance. Honey has lots of sugar, which is a good food source, but it has very little water available. Microorganisms require a water activity of about 0.6 or higher to grow (pure water has an activity of 1.0). Honey has an activity of, aw crap, I forget, but it’s a little lower than 0.6. Some unusually tough fungi have been known to grow on honey, but it’s uncommon and it takes a long time. As for the botulism thingy, the main thing there is that honey is about the only agricultural product that isn’t processed before it’s sold. There’s no pasteruization or other type of heat treatment, because no process has been developed yet that can make it any safer without ruining it. And before someone asks how botulism grows in honey when nothing else can, it doesn’t. The spores can contaminate the honey and just remain there, dormant and waiting for a chance to grow again in your gut. As a side note, most processed foods go through what’s called a “12-D” process. In other words, a process that will kill 99.9999999999% of any botulism spores that may be present. Kinda puts a new perspective on those cleaners that kill 99.9% of germs. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/29 "2003-02-20T03:17:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > Strong sugar solutions are quite a hostile environment for bacteria; osmosis (the transfer of solvents from a weak solution to a stronger one) through the cell membranes dehydrates and kills them. Is that why Bobby Goldsboro’s hit is still sickly sweet after 35 years? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/30 "2003-02-20T03:28:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > Strong sugar solutions are quite a hostile environment for bacteria; osmosis (the transfer of solvents from a weak solution to a stronger one) through the cell membranes dehydrates and kills them. Is that why Bobby Goldsboro’s hit is still sickly sweet after 35 years? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/31 "2003-02-20T03:37:26Z")
Not as sickly sweet as a double post. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/32 "2003-02-20T04:54:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Popup \* > \*\*The word you were looking for was _sediment_, yes? > If so, almost, but not quite correct. > \*\* More likely he meant ‘ferment’. I’m sure honey could, if asked nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/33 "2003-02-20T05:50:36Z")
**Lodrain** : Honey ferments if you add water, and then you have mead. Best drunk out of a drinking horn while singing loudly and off-key about those Thor-damned Britons and your country’s beautiful fucking fijords. Bonus points if you work in a verse about spam. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106/34 "2003-02-20T10:28:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lodrain \* > \*\*More likely he meant ‘ferment’. I’m sure honey could, if asked nicely. \*\* Maybe. And if you had read the rest of my post, I pointed out that honey will indeed ferment once the water content increases above 19%. There are natural yeast cells present in honey, so in theory you only need honey and water to make mead (as pointed out by **Derleth** ), but in practice these natural yeast cells are killed by (limited) pasteurization, and replaced with carefully selected strains. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-honey-not-spoil/156106.md?page=1)