HFCS vs. Sugar Syrup

[Sherpa1]

Just as an experiment, I put out some 2:1 sugar syrup in a small container and then put out some HFCS within a foot of the sugar syrup to see which one the bees would prefer. The sugar syrup was actually out about 15 minutes before the HFCS, but ALL of the bees preferred the HFCS. Even when one would land on the container of sugar syrup first they would leave and fly over to the HFCS. Yes, I am on vacation this week and have too much time on my hands, but this was fun. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Ian]

Cool. The true test for preferance.

[Joel]

Were the jars labeled or was it a double blind study?

Interesting result. I wonder if that also implies that since nature knows best that the HFCS is better for them or is it just higher sugar content?

[iddee]

Did you let the real beekeeper stay home from school, or was it just a case of daddy playing with son's toys when son wasn't home??? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Jim Fischer]

Well, "HFCS-55" would be most often diluted down
by adding 10% (by volume) water to result in a net
60% to 70% sugars to water solution, so we are
comparing 2:1 syrup (roughly 66% sugar) with
a HFCS mixture that would be at minimum
60% to 70% sugars, if not higher depending upon
how much water, if any was added.

I'd guess that the HFCS in this case simply had
a higher sugar content.

But bees tend to "go wild" over HFCS more often
than they do over sugar/water syrup.

The real test is colony weight gain over time,
and the relative amount of brood raised over
time, which has never been found to be significantly
different between the two.

So, sugar is sugar to bees, and they really
don't care if they get sucrose, fructose or
mixes thereof. HFCS is 55% fructose, 41% dextrose,
4% disaccharides in a "77% solids" mixture.

[Sherpa1]

Iddee,
You caught me! [img]smile.gif[/img]
Joel, you made a good point about the double blind study. I will have to report the results of incorporating the double blind tomorrow because I am having a hard time getting the blindfolds on the bees, especially since I am wearing a blindfold myself. Would it be cheating if I put my blindfold on last?

[size="1"][ February 23, 2006, 08:43 PM: Message edited by: NoviceBee ][/size]

[Ross]

Add a few drops of almond extract to the sugar and you will see the opposite I imagine. I think it's all about the smell.

[John Russell]

It's just efficiency isn't it?
Theres more to gain in the bees perspective to take the sugar syrup first. The variable they can't predict is how long they will have to gather, so they go for the "richer" source first. Then, of course they should clean up the HFCS. If you put a pool of honey, a pool of sugar syrup, and a pool of HFCS, I'd predict you'd have the HFCS snubbed as well.

J.R.

[Sundance]

My vote is for HFCS.

I tried the liquid sugar sold bulk but it had way too much crap in it.