Study: Corn syrup, other honey substitutes may have played role in decline of honeybees

While some have blamed pesticides known as neonicotinoids for the decline in population in bees, a new study says that beekeepers' use of corn syrup and other honey substitutes to feed bees may have weakened their immune systems, and played a role in the loss of more than 30 percent of honeybee colonies over the winter, reports Richard Valdmanis for Reuters. (Huffington Post photo)

Bees normally eat their own honey, which contains compounds like p-coumaric acid that appear to help detoxify and strengthen a bee's immunity to disease. The study by scientists at the University of Illinois says, "The widespread apicultural use of honey substitutes, including high-fructose corn syrup, may thus compromise the ability of honey bees to cope with pesticides and pathogens and contribute to colony losses." (Read more)