Nectar
The sweetish secretion of various parts of blossoms, which forms the staple food of many insects, notably bees, butterflies, and moths. For the manner in which this secretion is produced, and its utility to the plant itself, see Nectary. Nectar is not, as commonly supposed, identical with honey, although, as furnished by many plants, it is the material from which bees make the latter. Analysis has shown the sugar of Nectar to be, very generally, cane sugar, while that of honey is grape sugar, consisting of dextrose and levulose, in equal proportions. The conversion of the cane sugar is brought about by an admixture of salivary secretion at the time the Nectar is sucked up. This conversion has been well made out in the case of bees; and, since larger animals and man are known to convert cane sugar into grape sugar, as an initial process in digestion, it is probable that butterflies and moths effect the same changes as the bee.