Light brown cane sugar........

[Pete D]

I have read and only used white granulated sugar for making syrup and feeding my bees.
Is light brown cane sugar suitable, I have been offered a potential supply and would welcome your views. Also if it is not suitable do you know why and have you tried it.
Below is a paragraph from his recent response to my e mails.

' We do not have ‘unsound’ white granulated sugar, the unsound sugar which is produced during the packing processes (which we sell onto bee keepers) is cane sugar, it varies in colour – ranging from Light Golden Demerara to Dark Hard Sugars and Molasses. The majority will be light brown cane sugar. We sell this onto bee keepers for the same purposes as you want to use it, but I wanted to clarify that it is not just white granulated that you were after, as unfortunately if it is then we will not be able to help as white gran ‘sound’ sugar is in very short supply and also expensive'.

Any thoughts please.....

Pete D

 

[newportbuzz]

ive heard of a few of the OLD boys feeding all manner of stuff.

think the reason to not feed unrefined sugar is it has impurities which mean the bees have to go pee pee more often and can cause dysentry.
theres a artilce on here somewhere posted by finman about bees nutritional needs i seem to rember it was discussed in that. ill see if i can find it again.

 

[oliver90owner]

I think I would steer clear of anything that is not sufficiently refined. It may well cause dysentry. It may be OK in summer if only very lightly contaminated and only used for a short period and there may be ways to remove the problem contents. But I am not in the market for taking risks, especially with over-wintering bees.

No experience of it at all as I have always read the warnings - and heeded them. Used for wax building may be a little different from living in a confined space for months on end with no loo handy!

RAB

 

[newportbuzz]

https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/05-054

 

[Skyhook]

I think I would steer clear of anything that is not sufficiently refined. It may well cause dysentry. It may be OK in summer if only very lightly contaminated and only used for a short period and there may be ways to remove the problem contents. But I am not in the market for taking risks, especially with over-wintering bees.

No experience of it at all as I have always read the warnings - and heeded them. Used for wax building may be a little different from living in a confined space for months on end with no loo handy!

RAB

What he said.

 

[For want of a better word]

In my far off and far from misspent yoof I was employed by one of the largest producers of confectionery in Croydon as a "girl friday" in the marketing department, my job being to stick my nose into all aspects of the company as far as production and marketing / distribution was concerned.

The boiled sweets dept never used anything other than white granulated sugar in their confectionery, due partly to colour and boiling point.
If contaminated with "Brown sugar" the whole lot would be mixed with the floor sweepings and batched up into Army & Navy Paregoric.... a favorite of Tractor Man I expect !!
[ my job description was a "girl friday" to the MD..... I think wearing the kilt to the interview got me the job... he was a Scot!]
Heavy Rain outside Here!!!

I should add that the brown sugar sold by Liptons, Greggs etc was dyed brown with Brown FK..I believe now no longer used

 

[Pete D]

OK everyone thank you for swift replies, this sugar would of been from Silver Spoon but I am more than happy to leave it where it is and keep pursuing the holly grail of free sugar for beekeepers, proper white stuff of course.

thanks again

Pete D

 

[HelenX]

Not strictly relevant, but I find it interesting that the brown sugar British Sugar can offer comes from cane - I thought their main selling point was that their sugar is all grown in the UK (and therefore beet)!

 

[For want of a better word]

Not strictly relevant, but I find it interesting that the brown sugar British Sugar can offer comes from cane - I thought their main selling point was that their sugar is all grown in the UK (and therefore beet)!

could be dyed!... the food industry has a track record for such dupes!!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Not strictly relevant, but I find it interesting that the brown sugar British Sugar can offer comes from cane - I thought their main selling point was that their sugar is all grown in the UK (and therefore beet)!

If you look on the BS website you will see they also import organic sugar cane.

 

[HelenX]

If you look on the BS website you will see they also import organic sugar cane.

Ah - that explains it!