Regardless of the recent controversy around artificial food dyes, the bees seem to love Red 40. New York City beekeepers were puzzled when their bees started outputting an enigmatic red substance in their honeycombs. It tasted appalling. Some suggested the bees were returning to their hives after feeding from an alien tree, while others joked the bees were maraschino cherry connoisseurs. However, when the beekeepers sent the syrup samples to an expert, Allura Red AC, commonly known as Red 40, the same dye used in the maraschino cherry juice factory across the bay, revealed itself in the “honey.” In other words, the bees were feeding on the high-fructose corn syrup in the waste from the factory, dying their bodies and hives neon red in the process.
