In 2012, the beekeepers discovered something unusual about their beehives. Usually, beekeepers collect honey from the beehives and sell it in the market. However, a news story from 2012 has been gathering interest even years later. While it might be old news, people are still amazed when they hear about what happened that day.
In 2012, some beekeepers suddenly noticed an unusual color of honey in their hives. Normally, we all know that honey is usually golden or amber in color. But what if, as a beekeeper, you found blue-green or other unusual colors of honey in your hives? You’d be just as amazed as those beekeepers were at the time.
When beekeepers noticed this, many realized they were facing the same issue simultaneously. This raised concern, as honey in unusual colors could not be sold in the market. They began investigating why the honey was appearing in colors like green, blue, purple, and others.
They discovered that honeybees were feeding on waste from a factory located 2.5 miles (4 km) away. This biogas plant was processing waste from a Mars plant that produced M&M’s, the popular bite-sized candies with bright red, blue, green, yellow, and brown shells.
Initially, this issue puzzled both the beekeepers and scientists, as it was unclear what was causing the problem. However, the discovery shed light on how the bees’ diet was directly affecting the honey’s appearance.
This story highlights the importance of bees in our ecosystem. Bees play a crucial role in pollination, enabling the reproduction of most plants. Without bees, pollination and, consequently, the growth of crops would be impossible.
