"Organic" Honey???????

[Matt_in_Moscow]

I was just at a local grocery store where they sell "ORGANIC" Honey. It is produced by Y.S.Organic Bee Farms. How do you keep your bees from foraging on non-organic plants?? I'm really dewildered here.
Thanks
Matthew

[rainesridgefarm]

It is not so much what the bees feed on as it is the managment of the hives. No chemicals can be used in the treatment of the bees. you are alowed to use certain oils like pepperment or vaporized vinegar. but they must be certified organic as well. Some larger organic farms do supply enough forage to keep the bees on organic ground but that is very difficult to control.

[Andrey]

Mattew,
What are you doing in Moscow?

Andrey.

[Robert Brenchley]

See http://www.beesource.com/pov/organic/index.htm If I remember correctly ther mustn't be any non-organic cultivation within ix miles of the hive, which will rule out almost everyone.

Regards,

Robert Brenchley

RSBrenchley@aol.com

[Barry]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by rainesridgefarm:
you are alowed to use certain oils like pepperment or vaporized vinegar. but they must be certified organic as well.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Greetings -

It should be pointed out here that the Organic guidelines you are stating above, allowing oils, is from the European standards, not the U.S. The European standards DO NOT apply to the U.S. The Organic standards for honey in the U.S. are still being drawn up and there are many that will hold the line allowing NO USE of oils, acids or anything at all. Please be careful giving advise on laws and rules that don't apply here.

Regards,
Barry

[Dee A. Lusby]

The following was posted on the discussion group Biological Beekeeping today. (to join this group for daily discussion please see how on this site posted elsewhere or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BiologicalBeekeeping )

Hi all

This is to let you know that I checked today with Washington. D.C. and also
the National Honey Board on the status of the upcoming Federal Register on
proposed Organic guidelines for the beekeeping industry.

To date it is still in the planning process and it will be discussed at the
upcoming meeting of the National Honey Board.

Therefore right now the only laws on the books are the ones published by the
European Union for Organic Standards, which as you all know, DO NOT APPLY AS
LAW in the United States, as our Organic laws are still being discussed and
formulated for the Federal Level.

Rest assured, I will let all here know when the Federal Register comes out
for comments.

We ourselves (husband and I) will be holding for zero tolerance now having
and holding 700+ colonies without the usage of essential oils, acids, drugs,
and chemicals for physical evidence it can be done!

Regards:
Dee A. Lusby
Ph/Fax: 1-520-748-0542
Email: deelusbybeekeeper@excelonline.com

[Robert Brenchley]

What's the feeling in the states regarding bees foraging on non-organic crops? I agree about zero tolerance for chemicals inside the hive, but how do people feel about the guidelines issued by Florida Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc. (in the BEE-L archive), which stipulate that the hive must not be within three miles of non-organically grown crops? They are not zero-tolerance regarding what goes into the hive, as the guidlines take no account of contamination of comb or the movement of wax within the hive, while I feel that such a strict line regarding foraging would rule large parts of the world out of organic production, and probably increase the price beyond what many could pay. There can't be many places in Britain, for instance, which could be used for commercial production, and be capable of producing organic honey along those guidelines.

Regards,

Robert Brenchley

RSBrenchley@aol.com