> Something that I'm curious about is why I often observe live yeast cells in
> fecal samples from bees with dysentery.  As far as I can tell, yeasts are
> able to enzymatically digest simple sugars and sucrose, but not more
> complex sugars.  So I'm not clear as to how the bacteria and yeasts in the
> bee hindgut  interact with the indigestible complex sugars of honeydews.
>

The honeydew, over time, does ferment since a lot of it is never capped, so
that could be the source of the yeast.

Thanks for increasing my knowledge about the other sugars in Honeydew. Most
of what I have read concentrates on the mineral content, which can harm
bees. It is not the ash content but the specific minerals that are harmful,
just like the different sugars. Honey dew is a prime honey in different
countries and I hold it so- great taste and stays liquid for a long time.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html