I remember a sermon when I was a child asking why do we dip the apple in honey on R”H.
Why specifically honey as opposed to something else sweet?
The answer: the bee has to work hard to produce the honey and if you want a sweet year, it doesn’t just come automatically, but you have to work for it.
I heard another nice explanation...
Rav Meir Shapiro (Rosh Yeshiva Chakhmei Lublin, 1887-1933; the force
behind the launch of a global Daf Yomi) notes that bee honey is the only
food that is kosher yet comes from a non-kosher source. Honey can even
contain dissolved bee parts and still be kosher. This is due to a verse
that implies that honey is kosher (and reasoning about how bees don't
actually add to the nectar is post-facto explanation).
This property -- something permissible and tasty coming from something
prohibited -- makes it very representative of teshuvah.
Tir'u baTov!
-Micha