Actually, the idea is not new and in fact my fiddle ground is dark brown sugar dissolved in water. There's a huge thread over on Maestronet all about using sugar (and honey, IIRC) in various ways as an ingredient in violin finishes.

I can tell you that it does not attract insects - it took a couple of weeks to get all the ground coats on my fiddle because it takes forever to dry here on the Oregon Coast during the Rainy Season and we were having our annual ant invasion at the time. After sealing with shellac and varnish, water does not affect the finish. The wood does not taste sweet after applying the sugar (yeah, maybe that sounds a little crazy, but so many people wonder that, including myself, that it seemed like a good idea to know for sure...)

Just don't tell my Mom, 'k?

Well, this week it's dyeing angora rabbit fluff to spin into yarn, so ya never know...

It's all about how the sugar bonds with the wood. Wood, while it's still a tree, has sap (a simple sugar) running all through it which changes form and/or dries out after the tree has been cut down. The sugar seal bonds quite easily with the wood and dries hard and shiny, forming a perfect ground for shellac and varnish - there is no "left over" sugar to attract insects. Believe me, there are a gazillion bugs that thrive here and if there were any "flavor" left on my fiddle it would be crawling with nasties, and it most assuredly is not.

It goes against all Violin Tradition because it isn't documented anywhere as being used to finish violins - no specific varnish formulas have survived and the search for the "Cremonese Secret" is ongoing. I think Strad et al are laughing their asses off in some other dimension and that the "secret" is composed of a combination of superb craftsmanship, common ingredients and time...

Sugar has been documented as a finish for wood furniture making and in fact was quite common - so common in fact as to be part of the general knowledge of woodworkers, so much of which has been lost to later generations like ours. Full Chisel Blog is written by a woodworker who has done extensive research into historical building and finishing methods and has even written some books - worth a read if you're interested in those sorts of things...