It’s no surprise that, of all the solutions that environmentalists have proposed to reverse bee population decline, buying more mass-produced honey isn’t one of them.

That’s because it’s been so ultra-filtered that it’s largely pollen-free. Pollen is a key ingredient in real honey, and thought by some people to have medicinal and allergy-fighting properties.

Honey has an aura of purity and naturalness. Fresh air, birdsong, forests and meadows. High-fructose corn sweetener? Not so much. So you might think that honey is better for you. But a study ...

That it’s time to assist thousands of bee species that actually need help and end the love affair with honey bees, which don’t. “It’s difficult,” he said.

Honey does supply some nutrients, such as iron and vitamin C. But the amounts are so small, less than 1 percent of what you need in a day, that it is basically meaningless, a nutritionist says.