cornsyrup

[hobbee]

can you feed bees cornsyrup straight to them,
like the kind you see in grocery stores-
I make sugar water

[Michael Bush]

It's cheaper to buy sugar, but the corn syrup is much thicker and they will accomplish more in the same amount of time with it because they don't have to process it much. First, because the corn syrup is already high fructose so they don't have to make so much enzymes to convert the sucrose, second, because it's already low enough in moisture.

[kookaburra]

Does the vanilla and salt commonly found in store corn syrup cause problems for the bees?

I read when searching here that it causes some dysentary.

I had tried to feed corn syrup until I read that, and interestingly enough the syrup was so thick that the bees weren't very interested.

-Rick

[John Seets]

Using corn syrup will give your bees dysentery. Use the sucrose (white table sugar).
Thanx.

[beeman 202]

most if not all commercial beekeepers feed their hivis corn syrup to their hives. This is either high fructose 55, or high fructose 42. Not caro syrup. We add 10% water for a little dilution, easing both handling characteristics and increasing bee consumption. HFCS does not cause problems with the bees. Contact your BEE SUPPLY store for locations to purchase, NOT YOUR GROCERY.

[beeman 202]

HFCS is cheaper than table sugar. HFCS 55 is $00.18/lb. (in 55 gallon), whereas sugar is $00.32/lb. HFCS is 74% solids (pure dry sugars).

[BjornBee]

Beeman, I agree with what you said except the costs associated with your second post.

If HFCS is 18 cents per pound in liquid 55 gallon measures, then for a correct comparison, you should take sugar at 1.60 for five pounds,(.32 per pound) then add to a gallon of water and divide the cost by that total wieght. Then both would be somewhat closer.

For a hobbiest, pure white sugar is BEST and will not cause dysentery. While this is not feasable for commercial applications, where mixing your own sugar on large scale is time costly, HFCS MAY contribute to dysentery.

If I was ordering thousands of gallons, then I'd go with the suppliers. For a few hives in the backyards, after comparing the costs, then white sugar would be used.

[This message has been edited by BjornBee (edited October 27, 2003).]

[Michael Bush]

I have used white Corn Syrup (generic versions of Karo) without any problems except that it is too expensive and the bees do tend to prefer something not as thick. Normally I just use sugar syrup and they take it better. But if they are taking the corn syrup, they build more comb and store more than they would with syrup. Of course if they don't take it (and some times of the year they won't) then it doesn't do much good.

[Iowabeeman]

beeman 202 is correct on the price of corn syrup. it's a little over 14cents/lb coming off the tanker. We sell it for 18 cents by the barrel or 21 cents by the bucket. You can add water up to 30% for spring feeding. Don't store it with more than 10% water or it will ferment. If it's warm, the bees can take two gallons out of a hive top feeder in two or three days.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

How many lbs. to a gallon of HFCS?

When I mix sugar for fall feeding I am using 25 lbs. of sugar to three gallons of water. That would be 51 lbs. of 2-1 feed (four gallons mixed) for the cost of a 25 lb. sack of sugar, roughly $8.50, and cooking time.

If HFCS is ten lbs to the gallon, that would be $7.20 at .18 per lb. for the same four gallons of feed.

I would have to add shipping for the HFCS as there is no local source here.

I would like to get away from the stove next year...

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Bullseye Bill
Smack dab in the middle of the country.