sugar syrup vs high fructrose corn syrup

[Archie]

ok another question.

what is the difference in sugar syrup and high fructrose corn syrup?

I pay $1.89 for a five pound bag of sugar and mix ten pounds to 5 quarts of water and end up with about 2 gallons of syrup. costs $3.78.

I can buy 5 gals/60 lbs of corn syrup for $21.50

is the corn syrup better then the sugar syrup?

Archie

[Lupus]

I have been doing a little research on this myself. I am interested to hear others answers.

In his Pink Pages Master Beekeeper George Imirie suggests that regular sucrose made from sugar is the safest to feed bees. I understand that most commercial beekeepers feed Fructose (corn syrup usually). One commercial guy told me that fructose is already reduced to the form that bees can use and thus better for them, apparently honey is fructose. George's problem with fructose is he feels it is more likely to carry something that could give the bees dysentery.

I asked my local commercial beekeeper and he feeds Fructose that he buys in very large quantity. He explained that there are different types of Fructose. He likes Fructose Type 55 available from Mann Lake.

I bought 5 gallons of fructose (not sure what type) from the beekeeper that I bought 3 starter hives from. The bees seem to love it and I have not had any problems with it spoiling or causing digestive problems.

[golfpsycho]

I searched Bee-l archives and found 38 references to feeding different types of HFCS and sugar syrup..  Might be worth a look see if your interested.  
I've been reading about these commercial beekeepers placing 55 gallon drums of hfcs open in their bee yards for the bees to store as winter feed.
http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/archives/bee-l.html

[beefree]

i buy sugar in ten lb bags from wholesale club.  you can probably get it cheap at restaurant supply store, too.  my only issue is finding a pot large enough to hold boiled water and sugar, with slosh room for stirring to speed dissolving of sugar.  Have never seen high fructose corn syrup for sale at wholesale club.  will have to check restaurant supply store next door next time i need sugar re: prices/availability of both.
Man whose hives i am taking care of now usually uses corn syrup or frames of honey not extracted in fall, just stored in barn  for bees in spring.... michigan weather in spring being what it is.
beefree