Organic / natural beekeeping
- What does oganic beekeeping really mean?
In 1998 Michael Thiele
wrote about the "need of organic beekeeping"; it was the first step. The
former "need for organic beekeeping" is now what we call nowadays the "need
of beekeeping considering the character of bees".
Organic Honey and
other organic beeproducts do not live up to expectations at all. In most
cases organic / natural beekeeping is pretended, in parts even ecological
or beekeeping considering the character of bees. You can see pictures of
straw hives and so on allthought there is almost no difference between
organic and non-organic beekeeping method. The beecolonies are neither
kept ecological in organic apiaries nor in non-organic apiaries. The "traditional"
framehive beekeeping and sugar feeding allows organic beekeepers to harvest
as much honey as beekeepers from other beekeeping associations. Thus there
is no reason for higher prices in the organic honey sector, as this kind
of organic beekeeping supports the worldwide dying of beecolonies.
In
beekeeping considering the character of bees the beekeeper turns one's
attention to supporting a harmonical developement of the bee-colony during
the year and its natural way of living. Unfortunately, this is being neglected
in many apiaries - even in organic apiaries. In the USA for instance apiaries
with 50.000 colonies are nothing unusual. The colonies are being loaded
on trucks in units of 500 colonies and are being transported with
open flightholes for days and more than 4.000 km. The way of keeping bees
in Europe or especially Germany is similar; framehive-beekeeping (Langstroth,
Dadant etc.) - although the opposite of ecological beekeeping - is widespread,
also among organic apiaries(!); travelling with beecolonies is also very
common; 30.000 km per year is nothing unusual for such an apiary - therefore
"Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD) may also occur in Europe or Germany.
Making full use of
travelling with beecolonies is very common among organic beekeepers; this
is a reason why also organic beeproduce such as honey, comb in the comb,
beesbread and propolis can be contaminated with pesticides and antibiotics
from time time. There are many areas in the world like we have in Baden-Württemberg
(federal state of Germany); in this federal state of Germany more than
11.000 hectaria fruit farming regions were sprayed with Streptomyzin. Large
amounts of honey and other beeproduce had beed contaminated with Streptomyzin,
because main infection time is during flowering time of fruit farming areas.
In Baden-Württemberg more than 8.000 kg Honey had been polluted with
Streptomycin of more than 0,02 mg/kg. According german regulation on maximum
permissible limits this peak load was allowed until September 2008. In
season 2009 the new Europien peak dose is 0,01 mg/kg. Diseases of fruit
farming regions in Germany is covering only the whole territory of the
federal states Baden-Württemberg and Bayern. The use of Streptomyzin
in fruit farming regions is strictly conditional; it is only allowed to
use it within a special warning system; these warnings normally are very
short termed, as they depend on weather conditions. Organic beekeepers
of course take care that their hives are being located on field managed
organically, but they don't care that their bees also fly to conventional
fields or fruit farming areas; this apply especially to organic apiaries
who migrate with their hives.
Many authors who
write about organic beekeeping or certified organic apiaries, have more
phantasy and the ability of pure invention than real specialist knowledge.
For instance the German author Claudia Bentzien: do not forget that regarding
the organic apiary "the most important aims of an organic beekeeper is
beekeeping considering the character of bees" - That would be perfect,
if it were the aim of an organic beekeeper! The aims and principles of
an organic apiary still remain rationalisation and higher yields at the
expence of the beecolony's health, as shown in
Apicultural Review Letters.
Mrs. Bentzien describes the organic apiary highly imaginative in the most
rosy colours; but the reality of organic beekeeping is different: those
beekeepers who are allowed to use an organic label are allowed to feed
sugar, to carry out artificial insemination of the queen - well, of course
an "insemination of the queen without much injuring" should be guaranteed
- , to use non natural queenbreeding methods ("grafting"), to add artificially
created parts of the comb (which disturbs communication among the colony),
to fix these artificially created parts of the comb with wire, even the
Pressing-Methode is not prohibited; Some organic beekeepers even clip the
wings of the queen to prevent swarming.
Organic / natural beekeeping
- Learn more on organic / ecological beekeeping
Even organic and bio-dynamic
apiaries are allowed to use artificial parts of the combs, to feed sugar
and siropes, to make full use of travelling with beecolonies, to
use heat treatment for bee-products. Thats the reason why it is useful
purchasing apitherapeutical beeproducts from beekeeping considering the
character of bees (certified according standards of Centre for ecological
Apiculture); these beekeepers support a "longlasting fertility in beekeeping"
in contrast to success in artificial beekeeping for a short time. These
products cannot be found in organic shops or supermarkets; they can only
be ordered directly in special apiaries. More
infos...
Those beekeepers
who want more than producing mainstream organic honey and artificial comb
honey, who want to stop "traditional" framehive beekeeping and start with
organic / ecological topbar beekeeping should start with a distance
course in organic / ecological topbar beekeeping or practical organic beekeeping
courses for beginners / Traineeship in the Centre for ecological Apiculture.
Organic / natural beekeeping
- Further reading and references
Social Medicine / Natural
Apitherapy Research Center / Centre for ecological Apiculture 2010: Manuka
Health and Organic honey - which Standards are relevant for social Medicine
/ natural Apitherapy?Api Review Letters 9, Nr. 422
Social Medicine /
Natural Apitherapy Research Center / Centre for ecological Apiculture 2010:
Quality
of products from beecolonies such as beeswax, raw honey, comb in the comb,
comb honey, pollen, beesbread, propolis and royal jelly - for social medicine,
apitherapeutical and cosmetic use. Press release
Centre for ecological
Apiculture 2010: Old Traditions in Apiculture
and Viniculture - Natural Honey (raw honey / run honey) or Organic Honey
fom framehive beekeeping with smoke, sulphur and artificial parts of the
comb? Press release
Copyright:
Centre for Ecological Apiculture / social Medicine / natural Apitherapy
Research Center
