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Honey vendors say that to identify pure honey drop a spoonful of honey. If the ants don't feed it is pure.

For example:

Leave a little of testing honey near some ants, if the ants hover around it then the honey is adulterated.Bees naturally build the combs between the stones and on the trees, and to protect the honey from insects, ants and others they add an additive to honey. This is the reason that ants will not hover around pure honey.

Does this test work?

Oddthinking
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Hari Nandha
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  • I'm not sure you can claim there is a thing called 'pure' honey any more than anyone will seriously call something 'pure' beer or 'pure' wine... – Shadur Feb 07 '14 at 09:32
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    Some vendors cheat by selling a sugar solution as honey. So it is better to differentiate it. @Shadur – Hari Nandha Feb 07 '14 at 09:34
  • Without a definition of *pure honey* this question will fall prey to the [*No true Scotsman* fallacy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman). Any evidence of ants eating pure honey will be met with "That obviously isn't *pure* honey!" Could you provide a definition of pure honey or a different test that can identify pure honey? – Ladadadada Feb 07 '14 at 11:16
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    I believe, in this context, pure honey refers to honey that is not adulterated with additives. From [here](http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/pure-honey.html): 'The term "adulterated honey" implies that the honey has been added glucose, dextrose, molasses, corn syrup, sugar syrup, invert sugar, flour, starch, or any other similar product, other than the floral nectar gathered, processed, and stored in the comb by honey bees.' – Oddthinking Feb 07 '14 at 12:27
  • You can 'adulterate' honey, so it becomes a 99% gasoline, 1% honey mix. I'm sure the ants won't eat it. According to your definition, this is pure honey. – Fortega Feb 13 '14 at 13:56
  • The linked article says "100% bees' honey". Is that definition enough? – Emil Vikström Feb 13 '14 at 21:48

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