Brooklyn Bees Produce Red Honey

When a Brooklyn beekeeper noticed that his bees were producing bad-tasting, bright red honey, he knew something was up.

It turns out that the red color was coming from a nearby maraschino cherry plant. Bees were eating the dregs of that sugary, bright red syrup, and the Red #40 was making its way into their honey.

The cherry factory hired a third party bee expert who confirmed that the bees were getting into the HFCS and dye combo. The expert also suggested that adding some screens to their setup and a closer source of sweet liquid should fix the problem right up.

Red #40 is a controversial food dye. In fact, products that contain the coloring have to carry warning labels in the UK.

[VIA: Consumerist]

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by lori_greig