From A Food Coma

Here's something I wrote for a terrific foodie Web site, A Food Coma.

India study: Cell towers, phones disrupt bees' navigation

A new study from New Delhi reports that electromagnetic waves from cell phones and cell towers are a threat to honeybees.

Dr. Sainuddin Pattazhy, who conducted the study, found that:

...when a cell phone was kept near a beehive, the worker bees were unable to return, leaving the hives with only the queens and eggs and resulting in the collapse of the colony within ten days.

A taste of honey - in the form of mead

Though I've had a few postings here about mead, I'd yet to taste some - until Saturday night.
I opened the chilled bottle and let it breathe, and then poured a small glass. The first thing that strikes you about a glass of mead - at least this one, HoneyRun Mead, Ragnar's Reserve - is that, yes, it still smells like honey. I wasn't sure what things to expect, but that certainly wasn't one of them, surprisingly.
The label says it's dry, but dry is relative (those who drink Champagne know that Extra Dry is actually not as dry as Brut). This was a bit sweet, and it wasn't what I expected from dry. I wasn't sure it would pass my admittedly low muster. But I did a quick review of what-goes-with-what, and realized that for me to gain the full effect, the mead needed a good partner. In this case, the spiciest thing I had on hand was salsa. Out came the salsa and some chips - and, lo and behold, a great combination.
In short, mead ain't wimpy, and needs a good, strong, complementary partner.
The store where I usually buy my wine had only two bottles of mead in stock, including the one mentioned above. But interestingly enough, the manager told me that she just had a tasting from a distributor and that they hope to carry more mead soon. Looks like a long, sweet (or dry) learning curve.

Mead winners

Meadfest has posted its 2010 winners:

Beekeeping in San Francisco

The New York Times reports about how much beekeeping has taken off in San Francisco.

More reports about the state of bees

From CBS News
Columbus Dispatch in Ohio
A Bucknell University feature; the college is in Pennsylvania
Discover weighs in

Maryland beekeeper urges honey standards

Advocating that the state follow the lead of Florida, California and, now, Wisconsin, a Maryland beekeeper wants state standards for honey.

Knee-deep in honey

A columnist for a Canadian paper is touting the idea of buying "honey shares" of a local apiary as a way to ensure their success - and that of the bees.

New York Times headline: Too-busy bees

Here's an op-ed piece from the Times about the wear and tear on the bee population.

Bees worse off than ever after bad winter; pesticides no help

The Associated Press reports that the tough winter was tough on bees.
And besides the bad weather, colonies are found to be tainted with insecticides and other poisons
Here is Newser's take on the matter.
Treehugger's report.
And here is an older report from the New York Times that also details some of the problems.
The accompanying graphic is also from the Times.

Massachusetts meadmakers

Here's a feature about a meadery in Massachusetts.

Bee mite hits Hawaii

The verroa mite, a destructive parasite, is spreading across Hawaii.

Introducing: Mellifluous, a band from Glasgow, Scotland

Here's the MySpace page for a band with the same name as this blog. If you're into rock music, head here. If you're into honey, too, stick with this blog.

New Jersey beekeepers featured in article about honey, spring

Here's a feature story from the Asbury Park Press, which notes that spring means the re-emergence of local bees, producing local honey.

Wisconsin sets honey standards

Gov. Jim Doyle has signed into law a measure that sets new standards for honey produced in Wisconsin, and allows for voluntary labeling of honey that is certified organic.
Here is The Progressive Mind's take on the matter.
This is the account from the American Bee Journal.
And here is an article from the Kenosha News about one of the beekeepers behind the move.

Honey as legal tender

Organizers have created an eco-friendly community site, complete with beehives, in Oxford, England. The land will be rented from Corpus Christi College for the price of one jar of honey annually.

Update: NYC OKs beekeeping

The apiary community is no longer filled with outlaws, as NYC health officials approve beekeeping in the city:
Staten Island Live
Daily Finance
City Room: NY Times blog

Cold weather affecting bees

The columnist on beekeeping for The Daily Green reports that colder temperatures in the South have affected queen bees.

Article details beekeeping troubles

Here is a long piece from the Globe and Mail in Toronto that details some of the concerns about honeybees, colony collapse disorder and other potential problems. One scientist here calls the problem "agricultural collapse disorder."

Honey production down in India

The Times of India reports that bees are dying in parts of India, resulting in a drop in honey production.
In one district, the number of beekeeping boxes has dropped from 100 to fewer than 20; in another, the number has dropped from 25 to one.

NYC may end outlaw status of beekeepers

The New York Times reports that the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will consider measures to allow beekeeping within the city limits.

Country of origin

Honey containers are required to have the country of origin on the label. Here is a link to news about that USDA rule.

Illinois considers honey regulations, but ...

While the Illinois Department of Public Health contends that unregulated honey is a health risk, lawmakers are considering a bill to exempt small beekeeping and honey-producing operations in the state, saying that large-scale regulations would hurt small business.

Honey scare shuts down California airport

This is right up the alley of one of my heroes, security guru/iconoclast Bruce Schneier: Back in January, TSA agents shut down the Bakersfield, California, airport when luggage screeners mistakenly thought honey was an explosive substance.
From Natural News:

Luggage screeners discovered five Gatorade bottles full of an "amber" liquid. TSA agents then opened the bottles and complained they smelled "a strong chemical odor." They then complained of nausea and were taken to the local hospital for treatment.

North, South Dakota honey production

As word of the U.S. Agriculture stats spreads, I'm sure that we'll see these reports, state by state. Here is one from South Dakota.
And here's a story about the nation's leading honey producer, North Dakota.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer's exhaustive honey report

I just came across this link, to this multi-faceted report about the global honey industry. Looks like some amazing reading. I likely will comment more as I read it, but here it is, for your perusal.

U.S. government: Honey production down 12 percent

The American Beekeeping Federation notes that honey production dropped 12 percent from 2008 to 2009.
And here is the official report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Welcome

There is nothing fast about honey.
Certainly, heaving a few spoonfuls of sugar into your morning tea or coffee is quicker. And precious seconds fly by as you wait for the honey to pour from the jar onto your toast or bagel.
Rumor has it that 2,000-year-old honey found in an Egyptian tomb was still edible.
Nutritionists say that it's a great sweetener not only because it has a lot of stuff that's good for you, but also because it stays with you longer than the empty calories of sugar and other sweeteners.
And bees take a long time to make it.
There's also nothing simple about honey. Varieties range from the Budweiser-like, mass-market equivalent to what might be likened to a microbrew that is as unique as the flowers the bees visited to produce it.
Honey has a rich history; its makers (the bees, more than the people) are vital to the world's food supply; and its uses in cooking are probably as many as there are cooks.
The title of this blog comes from the Latin word "mel," which means honey.
I'm a longtime honey lover, but I'm still a newbie honey foodie. Please join me on this journey.