Subject: Feeding bees waste softdrink syrup

From: Steve Phillips <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 10:52:34 -0700

I had been buying fructose syrup from a local Dr. Pepper bottler to feed 
to my bees.  Recently when I went in to buy syrup the bottler told me he 
had a 55 gallon barrel of waste fructose that I could have for free.  The 
only catch was that it had the flavoring for Dr. Pepper, Seven-up, and RC 
Cola mixed in.  He said it was approximately 70% syrup and the rest was 
flavoring.

Has anyone tried feeding this to bees?  My local bee supplier says he has 
never tried it, but has heard that it can cause the bees to have 
diarrhea.

If I can't feed it, does anyone have any good ideas as to how to safely 
dispose of it?  I don't want to dump it dowm my drains because I have a 
septic tank.  

				-Steve Phillips-

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From: [email-masked] (Allen Dick)
Date: Tue, 14 May 96 09:52:46 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
   "Victor C. Rimkus" <[email-masked]> wrote:
>Larry Smith <[email-masked]> wrote:
>>Steve Phillips wrote:
>>
>>> flavoring for Dr. Pepper, Seven-up, and RC
>>> flavoring.  Has anyone tried feeding this to bees?
>
>Try frreding them a quart and see if there are brown spots on the 
hive. 
>Maybe it will kill the mites. If this is a viable type of feed I may 
>check with my old neighbor to see if I can get some for my bees. 
Sugar is 
>getting expensive and I really don't look forward to mixing sugar 
water 
>for feed.

I suppose it depends how much you really want to keep those bees.

Even if a quart or so doesn't cause obvious effects, that doesn't mean 
it won't kill them, reduce populations, impair their ability to raise 
brood, etc.

Carmellised sugar is a constituent of many soft drinks, as is 
caffeine.

The former is reputed to affect queens, the latter?  Well take a 
guess, I don't know.

I'm always amazed at what people will try to feed to bees in the name 
of 'saving money'.  

If you really want to save money, don't do anything that is not proven 
to be good for them -- and proven beyond a doubt.

Even sugar fed under the wrong conditons can be harmfull, and many 
beekeepers in Westen Canada lost bees by feeding commercial HFCS that 
was sold as substandard.

Give your bees *only* the best. , And they may do the same for you.

IMO, anyhow.

Regards

Allen

W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                    VE6CFK
Rural Route One, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada  T0M 1Y0
    Honey, Bees, & Art <http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~dicka/>