Bees rescued from tree torn apart by Irene

The New York Times writes about a bee rescue after Hurricane Irene ripped apart a tree. Things got a bit testy as rival beekeeping groups set their sites on the feral hive.

Chefs spicing up honey, recipes

I woke up today to a great package of stories from the Chicago Tribune, on how top chefs are using honey, and spicing it up with such "additives" as peppercorns and gin.
It's a great read: Here's the lead story; plus a sidebar on the increase in local hives and new recipes and some "concoctions" by chefs.

New study shows how pesticides can kill already diseased bees

This study shows how bees already sickened by Nosema ceranae that ingest non-lethal doses pesticides die. This link is an abstract, while this is the full paper.

Courtesy of Short Order, a Miami food blog: Honey mustard dressing and mead (though not necessarily together)

Thanks to a new site I found (and am now following at @Short_Order, here are some tasty links to stories about honey, which includes a honey mustard dressing, and about mead.

Beyond the Hive: Wind turbines deadly for bats

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes about how bats (and birds) are being killed by wind turbines throughout Pennsylvania. Bats typically save Pa. farmers an estimated $277 million a year in "avoided costs," so the bat losses are hurting the food on your plate, too. Here is a link to the original report.

Farm subsidies list

The Environmental Working Group has put out an interactive map of those farmers (and many non-farmers) who received government subsidies.

Joe Sixpack: Honey + hops = beer

My favorite beer writer, Joe Sixpack of (my employer) the Philadelphia Daily News, extols the virtues of honey beer in his latest column.