New Toxic Concerns With HFCS

I didn't know that HFCS is used as cattle feed (4.00 / 2)

I also had no clue that people were feeding honey bees, what with bees having such a natural talent for going out and finding their own food.

So while less important that killing honey bees, as odd as it sounds, HFCS honey?  

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by: Eddie C @ Thu Aug 27, 2009 at 21:50:28 PM UTC

feeding of bees (0.00 / 0)

occurs during times of dearth to stave off starvation.

arid regions like SW USA and Utah, Idaho etc experience time periods of no nectar and beekeepers will feed sugar syrup or HFCS or their bees will die.

northern beekeepers need to make sure their hives are "heavy" enough before winter and also may feed bees prior to them "shutting down" in November for the season.

its a myth that beekeepers make honey from feeding sugar as nectar during summer is free. the feeding of bees dates back to roman times as a way to save managed bees. most likely 90% of the hives in the USA are fed sugar at one time or another as a supplement.

but like anything else in our world there are abuses.

there are approximately 1500 migratory or commercial FEEDLOT beekeepers who control about 60% of the nations hives. they make most of their income from pollination starting with almonds in February then moving to the NW or elsewhere for fruit tree bloom and vine and berry crops during spring and summer.

anyhow almost 2/3 of the nations hives converge on CA in fall and early winter and are held in holding yards. normally their populations are dwindling as its winter. this is at odds with the need to have populous colonies in order to get the full rental price in Feb.

the feeding of liquid sugar in any form including watered down honey or HFCS stimulates or tricks the bees into thinking its spring. they also feed a pollen substitute like soy flour as larvae need pollen to grow.

so what's wrong with this picture? trying to get normally dormant honeybees to pollinate a Asian nut tree in North AMerica in winter?  to me that is more fo a concern for honeybee health then feeding sugar.

for a food source regardless of the intention or need, unheated HFCS poses no real risk to honey bees anymore then feeding cane sugar syrup or honey. sugar syrup from beets or cane or even honey all can create the chemical compound called HMF. yes even honey when heated will produce the HMF compound which can be lethal to bees.   HMF also forms with age so levels can increase in old honey stored in combs.  HMF levels are really the scientific way of describing raw honey and is noted as such in international honey standards.

in the bee world this study had been received with a yawn as we are well aware of HMF and how it forms.

the non scientific people though will try and seize on this to back some political beliefs like the bogus hype about mercury in HFCS which the author of that controversial study immediately said needed more data.

the reality is HFCS is  sugar like cane or  beet sugar and not that different then honey , maple syrup etc which all contain glucose and frucose in different ratios.

its all sugar while honey though does have some trace minerals and other compounds which makes it more attractive the reality is most people in our society eat too much sugar - another example is fruit juice which is also form of sugar.

my take home point is this is not NEW informatiion and really does not make HFCS any more evil then cane of beet sugar from a nutritional stand point. the hysteria surrounding HFCS as a poision is laughable from a scientific stand point.  

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by: bud dingler @ Sun Aug 30, 2009 at 14:14:58 PM UTC