> In New Zealand the honey of Coriana arborea is very poisonous.
 
Strictly speaking, it is the honeydew gathered from tutu (the
common name, pronounced 'toot') that is poisonous.  There are
two restricted areas in NZ where beekeepers have requirements to
either move beehives out or not have the hives more than 3 boxes
high and not take surplus after a particular date.
 
The problem is seasonal, and only in some seasons.  The honeydew
is produced when the passionvine hopper nymph stage chews into
the tutu plant.  If there are enough of the hoppers, and enough
of the tutu, and the summer is so hot that most all other
sources fail, then bees will gather the dew.  And even a small
amount of it is poisonous.
 
No commercial extracted honey ever implicated in a poisoning,
and with the restricted zones in place, it has only been an
isolated occurance.  But beekeepers near the zones are very
aware of the potential for a real marketing disaster (at least I
hope that they are, and remain so!!!) if people were to be
poisoned by honey.
 
 
  (\      Nick Wallingford
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