From: "deelusbybeekeeper" <deelusbybeekeeper@excelonline.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 21:41:41 -0800
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: THE ORGANIC BEEKEEPER

Clay wrote:
> This brings me back to foraging. You, me, or anyone cannot control where
> bees forage. Right? Almost everywhere there is going to be something that
> would disqualify beekeepers from being "organic".

Reply:
Quite right and true Clay.

> It is the organic practices of the organic beekeeper that count in my POV.
> That would include using no dopes, artificial feeds, ect. To me such high
> regulation for bees is a joke (foraging ,ect)! Who can have that kind of
> control on bees?

Reply:
This is a valid assumption Clay concerning various treatments. It is an
accurate assumption that no one can have foraging control on bees. If they
could the patent would be worth millions.

> I prefer the words biological, traditional, or natural beekeeping, but
> organic beekeeping just rubs me the wrong way! It least what is meant by it
> nowadays. For some reason it puts too high a standard far beyond what is
> truly natural for bees.

Reply:
I think you are thinking properly concerning modern meaning for the word
organic within the past 5-10 years or so. I too prefer the wrods
biological, traditional, or natural beekeeping without the usage of
essential oils, drugs, chemicals, acids and artificial foods spelledout.
Especially, if one looks at the current watered down organic standards for
agriculture with though exempted the beekeeping industry for some reason,
and an irratent to me that this was done, though now probably looking back
at the exemption, manybe it was a blessing in disquise. Because the organic
standards act allows the usage of antibiotics (sanctioned), soft chemicals
and misc stuff I find laughable for organic control methods and sure to
cause problems further down the line for all. If we are luck with our
beekeeping industry maybe we won't make this same mistake, but so far I am
smelling default and SOS ending coming up, though I will stay the course
on -zero tolerance- until the end, being me.

Take away the various treatments and bee products will probably survey
cleaner then most would want to think with no active foraging requirements
for qualification for the term organic other then straight testing for
residues. But then who would do or could do quality testing unbiased?

Regards,

Dee