10 great places to make a beeline for the honey

— -- If you've heard the buzz on declining honeybee populations, then Friday's Don't Step on a Bee Day has double significance. Bruce Boynton, CEO of the National Honey Board, shares his list of sweet places to enjoy the fruits of their labor with Kelly DiNardo for USA TODAY.

Buzz Bakery Alexandria, Va. Buzz Bakery uses honey in a variety of products throughout the year, but today the dessert lounge and coffee shop features several specials, including wildflower honey ice cream, "Bee Hive" sugar cookies and Tupelo honey panna cotta. Kids get free "honey cups," mini vanilla cupcakes with house-made honey frosting. While Don't Step on a Bee Day began as a reminder about the risk of getting stung on one's feet, Buzz uses this day to raise awareness about colony collapse disorder, a disease which has been destroying commercial beekeeping operations. 703-600-2899; buzzonslaters.com

ElixirSan Francisco At this speakeasy in the Mission district, owner/mixologist H. Joseph Erhmann creates cocktails that often play up organic, local and homemade ingredients, including house-infused honey syrups that "water down" the honey to adapt it to a drink. Erhmann uses lavender to flavor his Lavender Honey Cream and injects black pepper into another honey syrup for his Peppermelon cocktail. 415-552-1633; elixirsf.com

Carolina's RestaurantCharleston, S.C. This landmark Lowcountry restaurant regularly uses honey from a beekeeper located on one of the coastal islands. Chef Jeremiah Bacon whips up a variety of dishes that include it, including a smoked honey ice cream amuse-bouche and a honey panna cotta. A home brewer, Bacon and his staff have also created a Belgian brown ale with honey, orange peel and peppercorns. 843-724-3800; carolinasrestaurant.com