Subject: BAD SUGAR SYRUP

From: [email-masked] (Andy Nachbaur)
Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 03:25:00 GMT

Bad hfc Sugar syrup Damages Bee's in Canada

Details are still being sought on another chapter of beekeeper's
on the losing end of a good deal. This one involves thousands of
beehives if not ten's of thousands in Manitoba and Saskatchewan,
Canada, fed HFC sugar syrup by beekeepers who purchased what they though
was a "little" off spec HFC sugar syrup, (that they were told was safe
to feed their bees). The sugar syrup was supposed to be higher in solids
which one could expect to do no more then cause it to re-crystallize
fast, and higher in HMF which is normal in sugar that has been reheated
one or more times and normally would result in some off color to the
syrup, but not always depending on filtration, and at normal sightly
elevated levels HMF would not be expected to harm bees.

The bees that were fed the sugar got sick, and many more hives are
thought to have died last winter then normal, even for the hard year
it turned out to be for wintering bees. Many of the bees were reported
to be defecating a clear sticky feces soon after feeding and some
question if the bees could digest this damaged sugar at all.

Testing is still being done but it has been reported that the HMF was
elevated much grater then a little and other unidentified solids
normally not found in HFC syrups have been found. Some speculation
would be that this was a run of HFC that failed to invert at the
corn factory maybe due to a overheated run and was not HFC syrup but
something between corn syrup and HFC and could have been re-run, but its
anyone's guess until the unidentified can be identified. In any case it
was bad. Lab tests with caged bees have determined that the sugar was
indeed much more toxic to bees then regular sucrose or HFC syrups.

Beekeepers involved are working with the Manitoba Honey Co-operative
who brokered the sugar from the US via Mann Lake Supply in Minn. and
the insurance carriers involved.

It is thought that many beekeeper's in the US were also sold this sub
standard sugar but because of the presence of mites and the severe
winter may have attributed the higher losses to the mites or the bad
winter.

Beekeepers who purchased HFC sugar syrup from any US broker last fall
and think they had a problem are advised to seek out the Canadian
beekeepers involved to compare information.

                          ttul Andy-

BTW It is considered good management by people who buy and use large
    amounts of sugars to draw a sample from all incoming lots and is
    not considered by the sugar industry to be anything but SOP. All
    sugar refined in the US is sold with guarantee specs and all sugar
    companies are more then happy to supply and guarantee these spec's
    for any sugar sold. Bad or damaged sugar is not normally sold and is
    re-run or turned into by products, but it is obvious that someone
    did not follow the normal policy of the sugar industry.

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