This Directive applies to the different types of honey defined under Annex I. For the purposes of this Directive, honey is the natural sweet substance produced by Apis mellifera bees from the nectar of plants or from secretions of living parts of plants or excretions of plants-sucking insects on the living parts of plants, which the bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store and leave in honeycombs to ripen and mature. Annex II lays down composition criteria to be met by honey when placed on the market or used in any other product intended for human consumption. Such composition criteria regard maximum sugar content, moisture content, water-insoluble content, electrical conductivity, free acid and diastase activity. The Commission may adopt methods intended to verify compliance of honey with these requirements. Until the adoption of such methods, Member States shall, whenever possible, use internationally recognized validated methods such as those approved by the Codex Alimentarius.