I was an undergraduate at NC State working under John Ambrose when we did
the initial work on blue honey.  We found it predominantly in the coastal
plain and lower Piedmont of North Carolina and as I recall the two floral
sources were sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum) and ti-ti (Cyrilla
racemiflora).  We decided the phenomenon was associated with these two
plants growing on acidic soils. The 'ah-ha' moment came when we dropped
flowers of the two plant species into a test tube with excised bee
digestive tracts in a solution of water.  The flowers turned blue,
indicating a reaction was occurring in the proventriculus. I have seen it
in my hives in the central Piedmont of NC and when held up to the light a
frame with scattered blue honey cells looks like a stained glass window.

We looked at blue honey initially because on particular coastal plain
beekeeper made a lot of blue honey every year and the honey buyers thought
he was adulterating the honey.  A little bit of blue honey will darken a
lot of light honey, but it takes a good concentration of blue honey to turn
an entire lot blue.  The beekeeper in question made many barrels every
summer.

Bill Lord
Louisburg, NC

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