Sacre bleu! Mystery of French bees making coloured honey is solved... after keepers find M&M waste plant nearby; c" z8 }# q: l4 k. M9 M$ G6 M1 h- P) [
- Beekeepers around the town of Ribeauville in the region of Alsace have seen bees returning to their hives carrying unidentified colourful substances
- Biogas plant has been processing waste from a Mars plant producing M&M's in bright red, blue, green, yellow and brown shells
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Beekeepers in France were confused after their bees produced honey in mysterious shades of blue and green.
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But now the mystery has been solved as its now believed residue from containers of M&M's candy processed at a nearby biogas plant n northeastern France is the cause.
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Since August, beekeepers around the town of Ribeauville in the region of Alsace have seen bees returning to their hives carrying unidentified colourful substances that have turned their honey unnatural shades.
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Confusion: Since August, beekeepers around French town Ribeauville in the Alsace region have seen bees returning to their hives carrying unidentified colourful substances that have turned their honey unnatural shades such as this honey which has turned green5 k/ m w4 C- j
' a6 t9 e: ^, [/ G c: OTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。Determined to solve the mystery the beekeepers embarked on aninvestigation and discovered that a biogas plant 4 km (2.5 miles) away has been processing waste from a Mars plant producing M&M's, bite-sized candies in bright red, blue, green, yellow and brown shells.
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1 N8 L. P8 O Q9 |Asked about the issue, Mars had no immediate comment.5.39.217.76; X: g! p# V5 e
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M&M's mystery: Beekeepers, determined to solve the mystery discovered a biogas plant 2.5 miles away processing waste from a Mars factory producing M&M's, convincing them that residue from the M&M's containers is responsible O+ a; U* D/ F* k) q
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% y- ?/ v1 s2 w e1 rHoney headache: French apiarist Andre Frieh holds a beehive frame with coloured honeycomb which is creating unsellable honey, with dozens of beekeepers affected
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- \# C5 h, c0 T! Z, f/ e* NThe unsellable honey is a new headache for around a dozen affected beekeepers already dealing with high bee mortality rates and dwindling honey supplies following a harsh winter, said Alain Frieh, president of the apiculturists' union.
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- W. i! g7 X M. d, w8 l$ i; f公仔箱論壇Agrivalor, the company operating the biogas plant, said it had tried to address the problem after being notified of it by the beekeepers.公仔箱論壇- K+ _, T# y3 w8 |$ h
1 n ~2 f( g8 Y3 v9 F% J公仔箱論壇'We discovered the problem at the same time they did. We quickly put in place a procedure to stop it,' Philippe Meinrad, co-manager of Agrivalor, told Reuters.5 u6 j* D" m1 a- _; m( l
, g9 s) E$ A/ n4 T. b5 i7 f5.39.217.76Clean up: Agrivalor, the company operating the biogas plant, have cleaned its containers and incoming waste will be stored in a covered hall to address the problem which has turned honey (right) into strange colours (left)
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No comment: Asked about the issue, Mars has had no immediate commentTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。9 @" Q1 O: y1 E+ [1 A) [% N
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He said the company had cleaned its containers and incoming waste would now be stored in a covered hall.5.39.217.76% i( N$ J' X9 C- d, R$ x
Mars operates a chocolate factory near Strasbourg, around 100 km (62 miles) away from the affected apiaries.公仔箱論壇3 C0 B, H/ d4 w. r7 c* q8 `. r
( x( E: V# Y$ N0 t) S4 f) I5.39.217.76Bee numbers have been rapidly declining around the world in the last few years and the French government has banned a widely used pesticide, Cruiser OSR, that one study has linked to high mortality rates.
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! |5 l, g) v' h7 X0 k f4 KTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。France is one of the largest producers of honey within the European Union, producing some 18,330 tonnes annually, according to a recent audit conducted for national farm agency FranceAgriMer.
' m5 |* I( ^" I5 N0 u8 _5 e' b5 H; w公仔箱論壇Ribeauville, situated on a scenic wine route southwest of Strasbourg, is best known for its vineyards.
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% Z i: @( L# l7 y) lTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。Butliving aside winemakers are about 2,400 beekeepers in Alsace who tend some 35,000 colonies and produce about 1,000 tonnes of honey per year, according to the region's chamber of agriculture.: k B8 r! x! K) B8 _
TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。! Z/ i M3 Q( j! S& `
As for the M&M's-infused honey, union head Frieh said it might taste like honey, but there the comparison stopped.
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! \, g6 e+ s' i; ^TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。'For me, it's not honey. It's not sellable.' tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb( `5 m2 v: s k
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Falling: Bee numbers have been rapidly declining around the world in the last few years |
發表於 2012-10-6 09:36 PM
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發表於 2012-10-7 10:53 AM
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