Corn syrup or granulated sugar

johnwm73 · March 11, 2008, 10:04:49 AM

I am trying to find out what the difference is between using corn syrup or granulated sugar to make my syrup this year for my bees. I know for this time of the mix should be 1:1 for sugar but is it the same for corn syrup? Also are there and advantages to one versus the other? Can you mix medicine with either one? Can you mix in pollen substitute with either one?

Cindi · March 11, 2008, 10:11:07 AM

Johnwm73. It is not recommmended to feed the bees corn syrup. Many beekeepers do feed the high fructose corn syrup, but it really is not as good for the bees as regular white cane sugar or beet sugar. Honey is best for the bees, but if feeding, feed white cane sugar, stay away from HFCS, please......sometimes we must intervene and feed the bees a honey supplement, and that bee WHITE SUGAR or BEET SUGAR.

Medication can be mixed in with the sugar syrup mixture, I wouldn't feed a pollen substitute in the sugar syrup mixture, that can be fed in pollen patties, if there is a need. You will hear more chime in on this subject. Have a wonderful and great day, lovin' this earth we share. Cindi

Michael Bush · March 11, 2008, 09:36:37 PM

A lot of commercial beekeepers feed HFCS. I don't think it's that great of an idea myself. I don't. I only feed sugar syrup or honey. Preferably full frames of honey. :)

Brian D. Bray · March 11, 2008, 11:19:00 PM

Have never fed HFGS and never will. Even a little off color and you risk your bees health and hive.

wtiger · March 12, 2008, 02:21:09 AM

Wasn't there a study that showed that HFCS shortened a bees life quite a bit? I'm pretty sure there is a post with a link to the source around here somewhere, but it's late and i have to get to bed.

Angi_H · March 12, 2008, 03:15:53 AM

Then why do the bee keeping supply houses sale it then? I took both of my 5 gal tubs with me today to Dadant when I picked up my back ordered stuff and had them filled and I know it was at the least 8 gal if not 9 gal of it. As one container was almost gone and had less then 1/4 left. And he told the gal up front 6 gal. They are great over there. I have been mixing it with honey b healthy and feeding it to the bees that are in the almonds around my house. To draw them here to pollinate what I have growing and man have they been going at that like wold fire they are eating a gal feed pail every 2 days. lol. And it loos like they just might move in on the bait hive. I got my swarm bucket lid today and I will install it in our trees. How do you guys fasten the lid to that box and hang it in a tree?

Angi

indypartridge · March 12, 2008, 08:02:12 AM

Quote from: Angi_H on March 12, 2008, 03:15:53 AM
Then why do the bee keeping supply houses sell it then?

Same reason fast food outlets sell junk food: people buy it. It doesn't mean that it's a "healthy choice" though. The supply houses also sell a lot of chemicals that can be used in hives. I choose not to use them.

I heard Jerry Hayes speak recently (he writes a column in American Bee Journal) . He was talking about the health of our bees & moving bees around for pollination, and he made a comment "If I fed you only Hershey bars and Cokes for months on end and then put you on a plane to Tibet, I guarantee you'll get sick." Yet we move bees to outyards with no natural forage, feed them HFCS and pollen substitute, then expect them to work like little machines when the almonds bloom.

Michael Bush · March 12, 2008, 08:23:36 AM

>How do you guys fasten the lid to that box and hang it in a tree?

That depends on the box. Most of mine are old hives or nuc boxes. I set the box in the crotch of a tree and then I just run bailing twine (which is abundant at my house) around it in such a way that you start by going around one end of the box, then around the tree then around the other end of the box and back around the tree to where you started. Just one big loop. It holds on the lid and holds the box in the tree. It's easy to take it down by simply cutting the twine.

BMAC · March 12, 2008, 11:14:55 AM

Quote from: wtiger on March 12, 2008, 02:21:09 AM
Wasn't there a study that showed that HFCS shortened a bees life quite a bit? I'm pretty sure there is a post with a link to the source around here somewhere, but it's late and i have to get to bed.

Yes. That study was done by a university in Texas last year I believe. I think it reduces the honeybees overall life by 3-4 weeks.

poka-bee · March 12, 2008, 01:34:52 PM

That's over 1/2 their lives!! That doesn't make sense, it would take more effort to replace all those bees than to let them work for longer + have the new ones work too...more bees working at any one time?? Bigger hive #'s = more profit for the keepers?? :? I don't get the reasoning...Jody

deejaycee · March 12, 2008, 05:42:32 PM

The reasoning is really simple - $$$$$.

HFCS is cheap. Less expenditure at a time when the honey income isn't coming in yet = happy bank manager.

it's short sighted in my opinion. But it's a balancing act that many businesses have to perform.

wtiger · March 12, 2008, 06:02:52 PM

I also thought that the study wasn't all that old. Published late last year or something to that effect.

Angi_H · March 12, 2008, 11:44:22 PM

What I have is one of those swarm catch buckets made out of the pressed paper. With the lid and the hole in the bottom.

Angi