Bill's mention of increased bee mortality from cream of tartar has been pointed out by at least 
three fairly well-known names in the beekeeping community.

Diana Sammataro writes in ?The Beekeeper?s Handbook?:  ?...some beekeepers add cream of tartar 
(or tartaric acid) to the solution of sugar and warm water. Tartaric acid breaks down the sugars, 
but there is some concern that it may be detrimental to bees, thus lately, its addition has not been 
recommended.?

Richard Bonney has a post or two in the Bee-L archives recommending against using cream or 
tartar: ?Tartaric acid has been recommended for use in syrup persistently for many years. 
However, studies by Bailey in England as far back as 1966 showed that such use can reduce the 
life of honeybees if natural nectar is not coming in when the treated syrup is fed.?

Leslie Bailey wrote back in 1981 in ?Honey Bee Pathology?: ?Sucrose partially hydrolyzed by boiling 
with cream of tartar or vinegar, recommended by many beekeeping manuals as the basis of a solid 
candy for feeding the bees, is also toxic for bees when compared with plain sucrose.?

Regards,
Dick Allen

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