Britain – Jews around the world may have a harder time than usual dipping apples into honey this Rosh Hashanah. That’s because honey is in short supply this year, especially in Britain, due to a bee disease thought to be caused by a virus discovered by Israeli scientists.
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“There is a decline in production in the world,” said Alon Ron, CEO of the Emek Hefer honey company. “It was a drought year, and when there’s no rain, there’s no blossoming and no nectar. Nature is changing, and we can see it in the harvest.”
The shortage is particularly severe in Britain, where honey production declined by 50 percent after about a third of Britain’s 240,000 hives were decimated by disease this winter, according to the British Beekeepers Association.
Rabbi David Hulbert of the Bet Tikvah Synagogue in London, an amateur beekeeper, said he has not had any trouble with his own bees, and that as far as he knew, the problem had struck mainly industrial-sized hives.
Argentina and Australia, two of the world’s main honey suppliers, also had poor harvests this year, leading to a 60-percent rise in the cost of honey in Europe within a single year. In Israel, the cost increase has been a far more moderate 5 percent.
The main factor in the honey shortage is colony collapse disorder, a disease causing the disappearence of billions of bees. The disease appeared to be limited to the United States in early 2006, but later appeared – though to a more limited degree – in other countries as well.
About a year ago, American researchers announced they had found the key to the problem: a virus identified in Israel by Israeli virologists, known as Israeli acute paralysis virus. Despite its name, the virus is believed to originate in Australia.
Before the find, some had speculated that the disease was caused by global warming and solar radiation that was impairing the bees’ navigational abilities.
“In some of the research we found that about 60 percent of the bees in the colonies that collapsed in the U.S. were suffering from the virus we discovered,” said Ilan Sela, a former virology professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
However, other researchers attribute damage to the hives to other factors, from climate changes to a certain species of spider.
A zees yur far ale yiden
Sounds exactly like a scam. Honey is now a “commodity” to bee traded and speculated upon like oil. Just in time to raise prices!
Actually the alternative is worse, in other words if bees are disappearing so will be us. I didn’t make this up- Albert Einstein said that if bees disappear off the face of the earth all humans will be dead 4 years later!!! (some scientific stuff about pollenization, and crops,etc.)
Really? I just bought a 5 lbs. plastic “jug” of honey at Sam’s Club. It was less than $9 and they had plenty of them. Of course there is only O-U because I don’t hold glatt honey.
I’ll have plenty to dip in this year.
Isn’t it ironic that right before yom tov that mysteriously there is a shortage of honey,meat,chicken and whatever else a yid might need before and during yom tov.
Any store that raises it’s price on foods we need should be boycotted.
If El Al raises it’s fares to 4,000 we should not cry because it’s not a need to go to Israel for yom tov but we need food!
a virus identified in Israel by Israeli virologists, known as Israeli acute paralysis virus. Despite its name, the virus is believed to originate in Australia.)))))))))))))))
Lets blame the jews for this. Lets blame Bush for the shortage of honey. Lets blame the republicans for this.
Anon 9:53- a bit paranoid -dont you think?
Just use maple syrup instead of honey, your challah will taste like pancakes, yum!
It is true that there was a virus that killed a bunch of bees however there is still lots of honey.
And yes, 100% pure honey is still one of those items that dont need a hechsher.
Have you actually priced (pure/real) maple syrup lately?
How much Honey do we realy need…..
Its not like Tomato Dip,or any other Dips that you eat with your Chalah….
This is Silly…
Lock & Load
i hear that they fill the honey bottels with the fake stuff they can now produce fake honey that you cant see feel or taste the difference
Plenty of honey to choose from in my shop.
Buba Masoes!
I know many of my fellow beekeepers that lost a lot of hives this past year. Less honey to sell means a higher price is required to keep the farm running. Simple math.
And as 9:53 said if bees die off, so do we. It’s true. Unless you can live on corn, wheat and grass for the rest of your life.
Ah BEE Gezunt!