diff --git a/services/sync/modules/engines/history.js b/services/sync/modules/engines/history.js
index 9a51954a751b..582a555960a8 100644
--- a/services/sync/modules/engines/history.js
+++ b/services/sync/modules/engines/history.js
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ HistoryStore.prototype = {
   get _pidStm() {
     this._log.trace("Creating SQL statement: _pidStm");
     let stm = this._db.createStatement(
-      "SELECT * FROM " + 
+      "SELECT * FROM " +
         "(SELECT id FROM moz_places_temp WHERE url = :url LIMIT 1) " +
       "UNION ALL " +
       "SELECT * FROM ( " +
@@ -165,7 +165,8 @@ HistoryStore.prototype = {
 
   get _urlStm() {
     this._log.trace("Creating SQL statement: _urlStm");
-    let stm = this._db.createStatement(
+    try {
+      let stm = this._db.createStatement(
       "SELECT * FROM " +
         "(SELECT url,title FROM moz_places_temp WHERE id = :id LIMIT 1) " +
       "UNION ALL " +
@@ -175,6 +176,14 @@ HistoryStore.prototype = {
         "LIMIT 1 " +
       ") " +
       "LIMIT 1");
+    } catch (e) {
+      // On Fennec, this gets an error that there is no such table
+      // as moz_places_temp in existence
+      /*this._log.warn("moz_places_view exists?");
+      this._log.warn( this._db.tableExists("moz_places_view"));*/
+      this._log.warn(this._db.lastErrorString);
+      throw(e);
+    }
     this.__defineGetter__("_urlStm", function() stm);
     return stm;
   },