Quoting from Andy's recent letter.  <<<<I won't go into the details on how
the sugar companies manufacture invert sugars other then to say that there
are several methods depending on the raw sugar stock you start with, one
using chemicals, and one uses enzymes and a very complicated system of
mechanical processes. Lucky for us we can buy the products after they have
been inverted.>>>>>
There is a short article in the ABJ for November 1995.headed Choose
Carbohydrates Carefully for Your Bees, listing the various sugars suitable
for feeding and stressing the danger of using  invert sugar produced by acid
hydrolysis.  May I quote a small section.
"A study in Germany found that the concentration of HMF in sugar syrups is
indeed the factor that influences bee mortality.  They found that HMF levels
below 3mg/100gm of syrup did not kill bees.  However, HMF levels of
15mg/100gm of syrup, which is common in commercially available acid
hydrolysed invert sugars, causes significantly increased mortality."
It appears that inversion by enzymes gives a very low HMF content and is
safe.  The article advises that the best buy is HFC555, but produced by
enzyme hydrolysis, followed by ordinary sucrose, cane or beet sugar.
The article was written by R E L Rogers, Apiculturist and Tree Fruit
Entomologist, Nova Scotia Dept. of Agriculture, Kentville NS.
_________________________________________________________________
Sid Pullinger                    Email :  [log in to unmask]
36, Grange Rd                Compuserve:  [log in to unmask]
Alresford
Hants SO24 9HF
England