A friend writes
> Honey bees add substances like hydrogen peroxide to the royal jelly to disinfect it, which would presumably account for the absence of beneficial microbes as well.
>
> Not to quibble, but I believe it is glucose oxidase, a bee enzyme, which the bees add
I know, but in the effort to keep it simple, I blew past that. In my recent ABJ article, I wrote:
> there was a noticeable difference in the levels of glucose oxidase (GOX) in the bees fed polyfloral diets. GOX is an enzyme which can convert sucrose in nectar into hydrogen peroxide which has antiseptic properties and is added by the bees to larval food and honey to maintain their quality.
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Pete
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