1. Harmonical developement of beecolonies

In beekeeping considering the character of bees the beekeeper turns one's attention to supporting a harmonical developement of beecolonies 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 can be contaminated with pesticides and antibiotics from time time. More...

We don't need any further kind of industrial beekeeping methods but beekeeping considering the character of beecolonies - in the age of  "Solar Economy". Framehive-beekeeping and artificial breeding methods come from past age of fossil energy, which is well known for its overexploitation. "Solar Economy" means learning from Goethe and Beuys; concerning the bees it means no yield increase by frame- and skyscraperhive- beekeeping, plastic combs, foundation and syrope-feeding (Api Review letters 2007, 6, Nr. 195).

An "industrial" beekeeping as it is also common among organic apiaries leads in connection with high insecticide treatments and genetically modified pollen to strange diseases of the honeybee worldwide. The communication system of the beecolony collapses. Socalled "Colony Collapse Disorder" is the result (Apicultural Review letters 2007, vol. 6, # 116-121).

Web-TV and linklist on topic Colony Collapse Disorder in most remarkable German TV Program (WDR) Quarks & Co:
Quarks & Co
Further links on homepage of Quarks & Co
Apimondia Conference in Organic Beekeeping
 

Further advising / courses in organic / ecological top bar hive beekeeping 

crash-course and further practical courses in the Centre for organic /ecological Apiculture.
 

organic / natural top bar hive beekeeping supplies 

Organic / natural top bar hive beekeeping - Further reading and references

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 - raw honey / run honey or organic Honey fom framehive beekeeping with smoke, sulphur and artificial parts of the comb? Press release
Manual organic /ecological beekeeping

organic / ecological top bar hive beekeeping - save bee colonies: Sign up for Membership in  Natural Apitherapy Council (N.A.C), Beekeepers Reform Club (B.R.C.) und Honeybee Stewardship Council (H.S.C.) or support honeybees kept naturally without cruelty to animals!
More Infos

2. Variety of flowers, no Agro-genetic engineering and other noxious pollutants

Beehives are situated in areas with a big variety of flowers growing naturally, outside Agro-genetic engineering areas. States, who are mass producers of genetically modified seeds such as USA, Canada, China, Philippine Islands,  Brasil, Argentina, Mexico, Romania, Czech, Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, South Africa, Australia, India, Uruguay, Spain, Portugal now have almost no possibility to sell organic honey and A-Grade-Certification beeproducts as well as apitherapeutic products - especially if it is an out-of-control process and genetically modified seeds such as rape, soy and maize have run wild, as it happened now in nearly every famous honey-export country of the world (Romania, Bulgaria, USA and Kanada included). This apply also to areas contaminated with other pollutants like radioactivity or noxious pesticides in fruit farming regions.

Toxic food - not only for cows, sheeps and honeybees - made by Monsanto, Bayer, BASF & Co

The five main GM foods are soy, corn, cotton, canola, and sugar beets. Products made of these GM foods such as sugar, high fructose sirope, lecithine are more toxic than expected. Even FDA and EFSA gave wrong testimonials over jears; they failed together with many leading politicians 

However, more and more materialism and genetically modiefied crops are being rejected worldwide. Read more...

Grassroot movement in Germany against agrobiotechnology (GM crops) http://www.zivilcourage-miesbach.de/
Wichtige-Informationen.html

Further reading:
GM-crop-Desaster: The US government payments to farmers are up by $3 to $5 billion annually due to GM crops.  growers have only been kept afloat by the huge jump in subsidies. genetic pollution caused by today’s GMOs could theoretically outlast the effects of global warming and nuclear waste. Genetically modified sugar beets. Even smal amounts of contaminants can be quite dangerous. A brand killed about 100 Americans and caused 5,000-10,000 to become sick or permanently disabled. More...

Biosafety?Unscientific assumptions the basis of approvals? - blatant propaganda exercise stands validated as exemplary science - Toxic gm foods could have been approved. More...

Documentation of US-resistance against genetically modified (GM) foods, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and review of new scientific research on dangerous and life threatening side effects of modern Biotechnology in: Science Review Letters (2007, Vol.6, #156-159)

Press releases: 
Genetically modified (GM) foods are unhealthy and unsafe -  Evidence Links GM Foods to Allergies

The full catastrophy of Agrobiotechnology, genetically modified (GM) foods, genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Who is releasing genetically engineered plants or animals in landscape, or who is responsible for it, like authorities who release the rules, commited an act of culpable negligence

"Green" and "red" Biotechnology in the retreat
Agrobiotechnology wrong 
in the premises?

Severe side effects of agro-genetic engineering on honeybees and other beneficial insects. See Centre for Foodsafety and grassroot movement "civil courage" in Germany:

Risks of genetically
modified crops on honeybees

http://www.zivilcourage-miesbach.de/
Bienen.html

3. Swarming impulse is basis for breeding - no artificial queenbreeding

Did you know that most beekeepers, also from certified organic beekeepers (according EU-organic rule, USDA organic program, standards of organic associations) let their queens grow up from worker larvae ("grafting") although it is senseless from the point of view of the spirit of the beecolony, for which it is selfevident that a queen is only a good queen which has grown up from the beginning in a special round queencell with special queen fodder (gelee royale)? More...

4. No instrumental insemination or other artificial breeding methods, no wing clipping of the queenbee

Did you know that in many cases beekeepers, also from certified organic apiaries (according EU-organic rule, USDA organic program, standards of organic associations) do not let the queens fly out to their traditional nuptial flight, but carry out artificial insemination of the queen instead? To prevent the queen flying out they clip the wings of the queen. Some beekeepers really think to be on the path of nature by fixing the queen in a special way on the instrument. 
More...

5. Raw honey , comb honey, propolis and beeswax quality: No ultrafiltration, no treatment with heat during honeyharvest and filling

Since August 2003 ultrafiltration is allowed also in the EU. What does it mean? With the help of this technique it is legal to filter out typical honey compounds - a technique which leads to honeyfalsification very easily. According standards of Centre for Ecological Apiculture neither this technique nor heat treatment during harvest and filling is allowed.

Did you know that comb-honey is a produce to which neither mechanical (extraction, stiring procedure) nor heat treatment ("melting") has occured and which consequently is an product of especially high quality?

Thus there is an increase in popularity regarding comb honey and organic comb honey. But always again checking turns out that in parts 90 percent of the comb honey / organic comb honey is being criticized. For the most part it is imported honey which contains brood and foundation (sometimes containing paraffin and DEET) or is contaminated with antibiotics and beerepellents. On top of that, in many cases you find artficial comb honey, for instance Cassettes made of wood or plastic ("Bee-O-Pac-System" , "Ross-Rounds", "Hogg's-Cassettes", "Romanov") 

Not only milk powder and glycerine (used for cough siropes or mixtures) from China is poisened, but also beeproducts such as propolis, royal jelly, perga, beeswax, honey, who are sometimes being imported from third countries. More than 500 People were already killed. (see also chapter 9) 

But also comb honey / organic comb honey from Germany is concerned, if it is not produced according standards of centre for ecological Apiculture. According EU-Rules even artificial foundation in comb honey / organic comb honey is allowed.

More information and  sources of supply for pure comb honey with natural cristalization (not heated), pure propolis and pure beeswax from naturally built combs see list of beeproduce

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
Quality of propolis, beeswax and comb honey
propolis
beeswax
royal jelly
Organic honey
Honeyscience
Apicultural Review Letters

Books on: Organic honeyquality and Organic beekeeping Standards

6. Beehive made of natural materials, No artificial feeding with sugar, syrop, soy meal, milkpowder or functional food

either of straw or of wood or clay. 

Not allowed 
according standards 
of Centre for Ecological
Apiculture are:
Beehive, frames, foundations 
and combs made of plastic,
wired frames,
artificially created beewax foundation,
artificial wax foundation,
fibrocement beehive (cement and asbestos),
polypropylene beehive with ultraviolett-resistant stabilizers,
polystyrene, aluminium
sheets, facing of aluminium on the interior (to prevent bees from chewing soft types of plastic), 
rotating frame beehive,
"skyscraperhive",
Beehive, which divide the colony in fragments (magazines)
 

No artificial feeding with sugar, syrop, soy meal, milkpowder or functional food, no "clearing up"

Did you know that most beekeepers take away the complete honey reserves of the beecolonies - also the honey from the border of the combs in the brood areas? They call it the "clearing up"!

In contrast to industrial beekeeping and organic beekeeping, feeding sugarmixtures and syrope in apiaries certified by centre for ecological Apiculture, is not allowed. There is left enough honey in the beecolonies for wintertime.

sugarmixtures and syrop used by the majority of beekeepers as winterfodder for beecolonies, contain Glycosesyrupe, which is made from genetically modified raw materials. You can find it in all sweets, marzipan inclusive and even in honey. 

By the way, many beekeepers - also those from organic apiaries - are feeding not only sugar syrop but also soymeal and milkpowder and functional food with artificially added vitamins, proteins, iron and so on. Residuals of sugarfeeding as well as residuals of soymeal and milkpowder can be found in beeproduce (honey, beesbread, propolis); it doesn't make any difference if they are contaminated with melamin or genetically engineered ingredients or not. [3][4]

Thus beekeepers - although fighting against genetic engineering - are main supporters of genetic engineering because they use inexpensive sugarsyrop and soymeal! On top of that they weaken their colonies by using artificial fodder. More...

On top of that you can find already genetically modified sugar beets. More...

Further reading and references: see print version

7. Bees in top bar hives in the centre for ecological Apiculture drawing combs out naturally, no plastic foundation or combs, no artificial wax, no pressing-method

Did you know that the Centre for Ecological Beekeeping is the only Institution in Germany where bees are being kept solely in top bar hives and allowed to draw out their combs themselves without frames, in contrast to bees from beekeepers who need to get along with plastic combs in plastic beehives, wood frames, artificial wax or foundation and wire or even need to live in socalled "skyscaperhives" together with up to six (!) queens per colony - which is practiced in anti-ecological technique of socalled "Pressing-methode"? (Api review letters 2006, 5, 70)

Therefore our Standards are eligible to produce products for natural cosmetics, alternative treatment, holistic healing, herbal therapies and natural Apitherapy such as raw honey, comb honey, comb honey with beesbread, propolis, royal jelly as well as beeswax. list of beehive products

Did you know that the Centre for Ecological Beekeeping is the only Institution worldwide who offers a Traineeship for becoming a certified apiary of centre for ecological Apiculture?How does it work? 
See article in Api Review Letters 2009, Vol. 8  Nr. 325

8. Medicine against diseases made of compounds that are natural ingredients of honey

Beekeepers of Centre for Ecological Apiculture normally don't need medicine against Varroa mites. How does it work? Hobbyists and sideliners should start with distance course ecological beekeeping in top-bar-hives for beginners

Commercial beekeepers and experienced organic beekeepers may join: Traineeschip in the Centre for Ecological Apiculture
(See also article in Api Review Letters 2009, Vol. 8  Nr. 325)

organic / ecological beekeeping supplies: It is also possible to purchase a beehive such as a top bar hive constructed according standards of Centre for ecological Apiculture - including top bars. You need to inquire if available (Tel. 0049 5652 917899).

Please notice: Common framehive beekeeping and travelling with bee colonies - as it is also common among organic beekeepers - is not suitable for obtaining that quality of beeproduce which is needed for apitherapeutical beeproducts
 
 
 

9. Raw honey, propolis, comb honey, pollen, beesbread, royal jelly and beeswax for alternative therapies, holistic healing and cosmetics 

Raw honey, propolis, beesbread, royal jelly, pollen and beeswax as it is produced by the bees - in apiaries where they are kept according the character of bees: 

Delicious and apitherapeutic beeproduce as you won't find in a shop for delicatessen: pure comb honey with natural cristalization (not heated), the rare specialty combhoney with beebread, natural honey (raw honey, run-honey from naturally built combs neither extracted nor stirred nor heated before filling), pollen, propolis, royal jelly. On top of that pure beeswax without residuals (qualified for moulding in a kindergarten or for alternative medicine, holistic healing such as natural apitherapy and cosmetics.

If you are looking for a certified member apiary in your surrounding, please contact Centre for Ecological Apiculture or see list of bee hive products

Everybody is able to support a "longlasting fertility in beekeeping" in contrast to success in artificial beekeeping or mainstream organic beekeeping for a short time: become a Member or support honeybees kept naturally without cruelty to animals! More Infos

Did you know that food (meat from pork, poultry, rabbit) and even honey imported from China is sometimes so contaminated with ecologically harmful chemicals and animal medicine like Chloramphenicol (destroys bone marrow of children), that the EU needs to stop the import of animal produce, especially honey from time to time?

Did you know that even mainstream organic honey is being heated before filling?

According to new scientific research, agriculture and environment contaminate beeswax only little. The apiary itself is the source for contamination. One needs to attach the greatest importance to varroa exterminators, and waxmoth exterminator Paradichlorbenzol (PDCB). A heightened Coumaphos- concentration in wax can be even toxic to queens. Bad side effects on brood and health of bees can't be excluded also by lower wax concentrations. The accumulation of Varroazides in combwax leads to a kind of „long-term-therapy" of Varroa, which can cause resistances.

Beeswax, propolis, honey, comb honey, royal jelly being used in pharmacy, alternative medicine, cosmetics, holistic therapies, needs to be residue free. For the time being there is no uncontaminated beewax on the Europien market. Such beewax needs to be imported from Africa - Only in the centre for ecological Apiculture and its certified member apiaries uncontaminated beewax is being produced, as these apiaries work completely without foundations and the beewax is harvested from combs drawn out naturally by the bees. 

Further Reading and References: Social Medicine / Natural Apitherapy Reseach Centre

10. On the character of bees

Did you know that the founder of the Waldorfschool and bio-dynamic agriculture (Rudolf Steiner/Phd) considered Apiculture to be so important that he started 1923 lectures "on the charakter of bees"?

For him it was a matter of "longlasting fertility in beekeeping" in contrast to success in artificial beekeeping for a short time. As generally in agriculture, also here apply that it is something different if one gives free play to nature and only bring it on correct tracks or if one carry something artificially in this matter.

You can find interesting comparisons in these lectures, for instance worker bees and bloodcells, drones and nerve cells, bees and wasps (bees as in ancient times breeded wasps); he tells us about the importance of insects in nature (more important than pollination is the distribution of natural formic acid); about swarming, which is a crucial need of the bees (linked to bee poison and three infinitesimal eyes on the forehead, about which science didn't find out the meaning until now - but it's not surprisingly as for the time being only 1 % of the bee's behavioral repertoire has been dicovered and documented by scientists)

He speaks about the relation between brain and formic acid (which can be found in honey and bee poison), and if there is not enough formic acid in the human body, soul and spirit were not able to be kept together.

In other words: Everybody should be very much interested in beekeeping, "because more than one thinks human life depends on beekeeping." (Apicultural Review letters 2005, 4, #1)

Application form membership and organic / ecological top bar hive beekeeping courses for beginners

11. How do I recognize beehive products from apiaries of Centre for ecological Apiculture? Is it possible to become a certified partner- beekeeper?

Certification according the EU organic rule, USDA organic program or standards of other organic and beekeeping associations who support framehive-beekeeping, is not sufficient to be in conformity with standards of Centre for ecological Apiculture! 

For grade A beehive products certification we offer a special Traineeship. By the way more and more beekeepers are needed who are successful applicants of final courses and graduated in natural beekeeping (#62)!
 
 

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Beekeepers of
Centre for ecological Apiculture

DI  Michael Thiele expert in beekeeping considering the character of bees, holistic Apitherapy, Biodynamical agriculture, hazards of agro-genetic engineering and nature conservation

Franzrasen 2
D-37242 Bad Sooden/ Germany (Besides the spa of Bad Sooden there are further hydropathic and climatic health resorts in the area)
 

fon: +49 5652917899
Fax: +49 32223740527

contact@thiele-und-thiele-consult.de
http://www.thiele-und-thiele-consult.de

Expertises, practical courses, traineeship, distance course:

distance courses, practical crash-courses organic and beefriendly top bar hive beekeeping, Traineeship

Beehive products, beekeeping supplies:

• 100 % pure german beeswax from naturally drawn combs without residuals (qualified for apitherapeutic purposes)
• modeling beewax without artificial additives
• pure comb honey with natural cristalization (not heated)
• Raw honey (run-honey from natural combs neither extracted nor stirred nor heated before filling) 
• apitherapeutic products like German springtime pollen, comb honey with beebread, pure german propolis and royal jelly without residuals 
• candles
• Natural beeswarms with queen from swarm cell (not grafted or artificially inseminated)
• beekeeping supplies such as top bar hive, equippment and tools for organic / ecological top bar hive beekeeping

12. The Advantage of top bar hive beekeeping according standards of centre for ecological Apiculture

Why do we need a complicated technique? Top bar hive beekeeping - according standards of Centre for ecological Apiculture - is the most recommended beekeeping method.

In Apiculture Reviev Letters again and again it is reported about organic beekeeping* and if these kind of 
beekeepers see the point regarding beekeeping considering the character 
of bees. At least they are good in creating new words: they are speaking about "Organic beekeeping society",  "thehealingpath ", „Professional 
organic beekeeping competence",  „Beekeeping according specific species, but easy to handle", „Broodnest as a oneness" and even bee-friendly or sustainable beekeeping.

A socalled "organic beekeeper" tells for instance: „organic beekeeping 
is resting on three pillars, who stand together in an inner connection". One 
pillar is: „it is good practice in beekeeping to consider the Broodnest as a oneness". You may ask, how many follies need to be quartered 
in a head until this one may find a place? Neither non-organic nor organic beekeepers consider the broodnest to 
be a oneness. It’s a pity but it’s a fact. The usage of wired frames and 
foundation wax is generally allowed - also by Demeter and Soil Association. What does it mean? Wired pieces of wood together with artificially moulded wax foundations is given to the colony. Only Demeter tries to work with large frames which are completely nonpractical and not 
solely beefriendly. Demeter lays down in their standards that „Combs and brood need to grow according the developement of the colony by combs drawn out naturally, without being disturbed by frames", nevertheless the combs do not end naturally, they are enclosed in wire and frames. Even Warré hives cannot be called beefriendly. [4]

More according beekeeping considering the character of bees [1] can be called the building of natural and freestyle combs for instance in a straw hive or in a Top bar hive (movable combs), as it can be found in apiaries certified according standards of Centre for Ecological Apiculture.
______
*) In 1998 Michael Thiele from Centre for ecological Apiculture (not to confuse with Michael Thiele from California who is a mainstream organic beekeeper)  wrote about the need of organic beekeeping; it was the first step. Now organic beekeeping needs to turn to beekeeping considering the character of bees according standards, issued by centre of ecological Apiculture.

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

Further reading and references for organic beekeeping see print version