Bee-Mail: The National Honey Board's Electronic Newsletter

BeeMail provides twice per month information on NHB programs and honey industry and related industry news. Visit NHB at www.honey.com and www.honeylocator.com.

The Honey Board Has Moved!
NHB recently moved its offices to a new location in Firestone, a community not far from the previous NHB location in Longmont, Colo.

NHB’s new address is:
11409 Business Park Circle Suite 210
Firestone, Colorado 80504

All telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and web addresses remain the same.

“Squeeze Your Honey” Mobile Billboard Campaign Set to Cruise
The NHB-sponsored honey mobile billboard campaign will soon be cruising through high profile areas in leading honey markets. The promotion will occur from mid-Nov. to mid-Dec. with the colorful, eye-catching trucks stopping at supermarkets and local events to distribute honey sticks and honey recipes and information. Following are the locations and dates.

Eastern
Hartford, 11/15-11/18
New Haven, 11/19-11/24
Long Island, 11/25
N. New Jersey, 11/26 - 11/27
Bronx, 11/28-11/30
Syracuse, 12/1-12/8
Buffalo, 12/10-12/15

Mid-West
Milwaukee, 11/15-11/21
Twin Cities, 11/22-11/28
Chicago, 11/30-12/7
Detroit, 12/8-12/15

West
Phoenix, 11/15-11/21
Las Vegas, 11/22-11/30
Los Angeles, 12/1-12/7
San Diego, 12/8-12/15

If your company is active in any of the above markets, NHB asks your help in tracking unit sales during this promotion. NHB is not asking for confidential information, but rather a summary of unit movement in comparison to sales (better than, the same as, worse than) the previous year. If your firm is interested in participating, please contact Bruce Wolk at 303-827-2024, or 800-553-7162, ext. 102.
 
Honey a Hit at Epcot Festival!
Tens of thousands of honey sticks were enjoyed by Epcot visitors at the “Buzz About Honey” booth, as part of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival at Disney World’s Epcot Center, Sept. 30-Nov. 12. In addition to honey stix, the NHB-sponsored booth featured beekeepers and observation hives, educational activities for kids, chef demonstrations and authentic taste seminars. The authentic taste seminars provided information on the history of honey, how honey is made and honey tasting sessions.

Mark Your Calendars for NHB’s Feb. Meeting
NHB’s February meeting will be held in San Francisco, Calif., Feb. 22-23, 2007. Board meetings are open to the public. If you are interested in attending, please contact Glenda Mostek at glenda@nhb.org for additional information.

National Honey Report for October 2006
The Agricultural Marketing Service has issued the October National Honey Market Report.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/fv/mncs/honey.pdf.

Honeybee Genome Completed
The Honeybee Genome Sequencing Consortium recently announced it had finished copying out the genetic message of Honeybees. Comparisons with the fruit fly and mosquito genomes suggest that bees evolved more slowly than either of those other insects. Some bee genes, notably the ones responsible for internal "clocks" and circadian rhythms, are more similar to mammals' genes than flies'. 

Compared with other insects, honeybees have only one-third as many genes involved in recognizing and killing their microbial enemies. Overall, it appears that compared with those of other insects, a bee's genome is less concerned with protecting the individual from disease and more concerned with protecting a larger organism -- the entire colony.

What is lost in the immune system is gained in the bee equivalent of the nose. A. mellifera has 170 genes for "odorant receptors," of which 157 are in a gene family so far found only in honeybees. This is far more smelling apparatus than either fruit flies (with 62 receptor genes) or mosquitoes (with 79) possess. It probably reflects the extreme importance of smell in helping bees find flowers and communicate with one another, including with their queen, through pheromones.

The consortium’s work was done over the last three years by 150 people in 20 countries.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/05/MNGJ9M400B1.DTL&feed=rss.news

Grocers Try Upscale Private-Label Brands
Supermarkets are sprucing up their private labels, adding upscale brands to boost customer loyalty and their bottom lines. To appeal to more affluent customers, stores are adding products that promise luxury rather than emphasize value, with names like Publix Premium, Kroger's Naturally Preferred and Target's Archer Farms. Instead of merely matching the quality of a national brand, the new generation of private label foods aims to exceed it. By adding a gourmet line and an environmentally focused brand, Publix has doubled the number of store-brand products it offers during the last five years. In addition, Kroger recently teamed with Disney for a private-label line aimed at children.

Honey also appears to be benefiting from this momentum. Target’s Archer Farms and Kroger’s Private Selection often offer more extensive varietal honeys than are typically available in grocery stores.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061104/BIZ/611040342/1001

Happy Thanksgiving!

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© National Honey Board
11409 Business Park Circle, Suite #210
Firestone, CO 80504-9200
Phone: 303-776-2337
Fax: 303-776-1177
URL: http://www.honey.com