Firm says it has a new technique to detect "tainted" honey

Thermo Fisher Scientific says a new technique can detect tainted honey.

Business Insider weighs in on Colony Collapse Disorder

Writer Dina Spector says not so fast ... CCD can't easily be pinned on a virus/fungus combination, she writes, noting that some folks are starting to shoot holes in the theory that was espoused last week as a breakthrough. Chief amid the criticism is that one of the researchers got grant money from Bayer, which happens to manufacture many of the toxins/pesticides that also have been cited as causes of the bees' poor health.

The new issue of the #bees Daily is out

Here's someplace you can go for news on bees and beekeeping.

Is China moving in on the world's food supply?

Yes, that's an alarming headline, and it's designed to get you thinking Beyond The Hive, as I try to do here on occasion. The "nut graf" of this blog is that it is about honey, bees, mead, agriculture and more. And that means I have to look beyond the Food section for stories about honey as an emerging artisanal food product, or the Features or Home section about the emergence of beekeeping as a hobby. It means heading over to the Business section.
I'm specifically talking about Tuesday's New York Times, whose "Dealbook" column by Andrew Ross Sorkin reports on a potential bid by the Chinese firm Sinochem to take over the Potash Corporation, one of the world's largest fertilizer producers, based in Saskatchewan, Canada.
While there was outrage in 2005 over plans by a Chinese firm to take over an American oil company, so far, this issue is a bit more under the radar...even though food - believe it or not - is more vital to us than oil.
Critics' primary worries are that China could divert the product overseas to its home shores, as well as just the general idea that in some regard, China would have control over a good piece of the food chain.
Meanwhile, it's also worth worrying about that, given the Chinese's recent history (especially) of poison in pet food and banned antibiotics in honey, they could engage in similarly lax quality control in the fertilizer industry.
Right now, the Chinese are mentioned as potential bidder, while Australian mining firm BHP has put in a hostile takeover bid of $130 a share (and pledged to be good to Saskatchewan). (Meanwhile, the Commodity Surge blog notes that rising grain prices might impact BHP's bid.)
Any takeover will have to undergo the scrutiny of Canadian officials. But Americans who are interested in food (that's everyone, people) ought to take notice, as well.

Wall Street Journal gives props to honey

The Journal notes that honey is becoming like chocolate and craft beers - an upscale, artisanal product.

Beyond The Hive: USDA predicts record soybean crop

Building on last year's record production, the United States is expected to produce another record crop of soybeans. The Department of Agriculture notes that this comes in the wake of a very warm summer.
Additionally, the USDA notes that corn production is down, while cotton is up (for the first time since 2005) and orange production is up a whopping 10 percent.

Chicago: Bee talk at Garfield Park conservatory

Thanks to a friend of mine for letting me know -- well in advance -- about this bee talk at the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Causes of colony collapse disorder found?

Scientists in a new report indicate a virus and fungus are not present in colonies not infected. Here's NPR's take.

October newsletter from National Honey Board

Here's what arrived in my inbox: recipes for honey pumpkin mousse, pumpkin hummus, honey pumpkin pie and, for the cosmetically inclined, harvest pumpkin exfoliating mask: