M&Ms are a tasty treat for many, but not for beekeepers in northern France.

Agrivalor, a biogas plant that processes waste from the production of Mars candies, has contaminated local hives near the town of Ribeauvillé in Alsace in northeastern France. Beekeepers first noticed a problem when they discovered their honey turning shades of blue and green.

An investigation by the beekeepers revealed the bees were getting into M&M waste at Agrivalor. Presumably, the coloring came from the multicolored shells that encase M&Ms.

“We discovered the problem at the same time they did. We quickly put in place a procedure to stop it,” Philippe Meinrad, the plant’s co-manager, told Reuters. The company has taken action to keep bees from accessing incoming waste, which arrives from a Mars factory about 60 miles away.

Beekeepers can’t sell the colored honey, which has only added to their troubles of honeybees dying off because of pesticides and a cold winter that impacted honey supplies.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Blue And Green Honey Caused By Bees Feeding On M&M's Production Waste (by Patrick Genthon, Reuters)

En Alsace, une colonie d'abeilles produit un mystérieux miel bleu  (by Sophie Landrin, Le Monde)