The French beekeepers and the mystery of the blue honey
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Beekeepers in northeastern France are all abuzz after their bees started producing blue honey.
Since August beekeepers in the town of Ribeauville have witnessed their bees returning to the cluster of apiaries carrying unusually colorful substances - which turned their honey into unnatural colours.
But now the mystery has been solved.
It appears the enterprising bees have been eating the waste from a nearby biogas plant that has been processing the waste produced in the making of M&Ms.
Mars operates a chocolate factory near Strasbourg, around 100 km (62 miles) away from the affected apiaries.
The discovery was made after the beekeepers became determined to find the source of the blue honey.
The biogas plant has been processing waste from a plant run by the Mars company that makes the brightly coloured M&M chocolates.
The operator of the plant, Agrivalor, told the BBC: We discovered the problem at the same time [the beekeepers] did. We quickly put in place a procedure to stop it.“
The company subsequently published a statement in the French paper Le Monde saying it would store all waste from the Mars factory in airtight containers, and process it promptly.
The honey, which is unsellable, is likely to produce more problems for the beekeepers following a harsh winter and the continually rising bee mortality rates.
Bee numbers have been in steady decline of late and the government in France has banned one pesticide linked to the high mortality rates.
There are around 2,400 beekeepers in the Alsace region, who reportedly tend to some 35,000 colonies and produce around 1,000 tonnes of honey a year.
France is one of the largest producers of honey in Europe, producing some 18,330 tonnes annually.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments