Nutritionists have been quick to point out how high fructose corn syrup may be sickening humans. That’s not new. But bees? Researchers are suggesting that the high-fructose corn syrup commercial beekeepers have been feeding their bees for decades may be eroding the bees’ immune systems, making them more susceptible to toxins and colony collapse disorder. A team of entomologists from the University of Illinois outlines their research and findings in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

It turns out that an enzyme in pollen walls as well as compounds found in poplar sap (which stick to bees’ legs and then get in the honey) make their immune systems stronger. The study suggests that taking away the honey and feeding them corn syrup instead makes them more vulnerable. Read a summary at Phys.org and read the