Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Jordan Fermanis, The Conversation; Justin Bergman, The Conversation, and Dilpreet Kaur, The Conversation
Food fraud, the centuries-old problem that won’t go away
The Conversation55.8 MB(download)
Dairy farmers used to put sheep brains and chalk in skim milk to make it look frothier and whiter. Coffee, honey and wine have also been past targets of food fraudsters. Can the law ever keep up?
The new discovery significantly deepens the ‘fake honey’ scandal.
Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock.com
More than a quarter of commercially available honeys show signs of having been bulked out with cheaper products such as sugar cane and corn syrup, a new analysis shows.
The industry selling honey and bee products is booming.
from www.shutterstock.com
Samuel Becher, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Hongzhi Gao, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, and Jessica C Lai, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The bee product industry is booming and in unregulated markets, there is a strong economic incentive to cheat. Self regulation combined with legal deterrence could help clean up the sticky mess.
Myrmecocystus honeypot ants, showing the repletes, their abdomens swollen to store honey, above ordinary workers.
Greg Hume via Wikimedia Commons
It’s a decade since US beekeepers first noticed that their bees were mysteriously dying. Now we know much more about Colony Collapse Disorder, raising hopes that we can turn bees’ fortunes around.
With the right skills, scientists can draw journalists like bees to honey.
Shutterstock
Honey bees are in decline and the current method of keeping them can be disruptive to a colony. But new designs allow beekeepers to monitor a hive remotely, even sniff out disease and pests.
Leatherwood flowers give Tasmanian honey its unique taste.
Anthony O'Grady
Elephant numbers are increasing in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Their search for food is leading them into conflict with farmers living adjacent to game parks. Bees could prove to be the answer to the problem.
The African honeybee is more resistant to pests and pathogens than its European counterparts.
Jon Hrusa/EPA
The way the Africa honeybee’s deal with parasites and pathogens can teach western beekeepers and researchers how to adapt their bees to fight diseases.
A painting from Botha’s Shelter in the Ndedema Gorge in the Drakensburg, said to be home to a rich tapestry of San art and life.
Wits University Press
Formlings are representations of flying termites and their underground nests. They are associated with botantical subjects considered by the San to have great spiritual significance.