SALT LAKE CITY — What appears to be red honey is showing up in some Utah beehives and state officia👍ls say it may be coming from bugs feasting on candy cane byproduct.
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food officials say they’ve received several complaints about the odd-colored goo in hives in Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties. They say the bees were apparently fed the byproduct that came from a candy factory.
Officials say they don’t have any reason to call the red substance unsafe, but advise beekeepers not to mix it with normal-colored honey and to report it to the state.
Regulators are investigating whether t꧑he su🐬bstance can be considered honey. Beehive State standards define honey as a product that originates from a floral source.