Stan said:
> So, if HFCS is very close to the same acidity as honey, and presuming that 
> bees are well adapted to the food that they make, why do you think that a 
> higher ph is an advantage, Bob (or anyone else)?

I spoke with the manager of the International Foods plant  a few minutes 
ago.

He said the PH was higher in sucrose because of the thicker product. he also 
said many consider sucrose a more stable product for bees because (As Randy 
said) the risks of HMF are les when the PH is neutral.

He said he rarely sells the 42% HFCS to beekeepers and looking back none to 
beekeepers this year. The Kansas plant does not sell 55% ( the only reasons 
he has ever given is that there is no demand other than possibly beekeepers 
in our area)

He said he could do a mix if I wanted and would only mean I would need to 
stop the filling and weigh the truck when half full and then return back 
into the fill area and top off with the next product. He wondered why I 
would want to. He was not sure what the PH would be with such a mix.

He would not give me a price quote on the products from his plant. He said I 
would need to call the main office in St.Louis for a daily price quote.

OK. I just got off the phone with my broker in St. Louis. He had another 
commercial beekeeper on the other line placing an order. Today's price for 
sucrose is .52 cents a pound dry sugar weight. ( I paid .49 on Wednesday). 
He said the price will continue to rise in his opinion.

He said he could send me a tanker of 55% HFCS from a northern plant but was 
not available filled in totes at the Kansas plant. He said today's price at 
the Kansas plant for 42% is .23 a pound ( liquid weight with I think 
slightly over 11.5 pounds to a gallon or approx. 2.65 U.S. a gallon * my 
figures*),
He said International Foods has a locked in price for HFCS for a few months 
so HFCS prices should remain the same.

I might add that the above are prices without the middle man ( or bee supply 
houses). If your bill comes from a bee supply house then its hard to say 
what the actual plant price is but I have been told most only add a couple 
cents per pound.

We had over 4 inches of rain in our area yesterday! All hives were given 
feed with fumigillin for winter before the rain. The other Missouri 
beekeeper holding on the phone is starting his feeding and is faced with 
higher prices and soggy fields to get into.

The broker just called me back and said the plant would work with us on say 
billing my company for a tanker load and letting all the local beeks pick up 
totes. The broker is supposed to call with the price savings  first of next 
week but I doubt I will need syrup again till next spring but I like the 
dialog.

bob 

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