THE SWEET SUBSTANCE THAT CAUSES INSECT DEATH

In Proverbs 24:13 the Bible says: “My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb, which is sweet to the taste.” Residents of the ancient city of Tel Rehov in the Jordan Valley had taken this counsel to heart: Archeologists exploring the ruins of Tel Rehov found 3,000-year-old beehives, the oldest yet discovered. There were at least 180 hives, each of which produced more than 10 pounds of honey each year. Today, 30 centuries later, honey is seen as a healthy substitute for the sugar produced by huge refineries. But honey is also the product of a giant industry and it’s not necessarily good for the environment. Originally imported from Europe, the honeybee is mostly raised and managed in the U.S. either to make honey or pollinate crops, so it has become a domestic animal and in that regard comparable to cows, sheep, and chickens. But Apis mellifera directly competes with native species of wild bees, and while there is pollen aplenty for all in times of floral abundance, once an orchard has stopped blooming, the farmed species still competes against the wild bees, making it harder for them to survive. Honeybees can displace local bee species; they prefer to visit only a few types of flowers, and in the absence of their usual pollinators many other plant varieties perish. This results in less food for wild bees, thus creating a negative feedback loop— which is also bad news for us, as wild bees pollinate a wide array of the plants humans consume. Moreover, selective breeding weakens gene pools and makes honeybees more susceptible to disease, which is particularly problematic when disease spreads from captive bees to native species because it contributes to colony collapse disorder. WHAT TO LOOK FOR: A healthy alternative to honey (and refined sugar) is maple syrup, which can be sustainable (though moderation is key).