How much Honey is in your Honey?

[Tara]

Wow... fun times.

I'm a newly dubbed 'beekeeper' having just overwintered my first hives. But I did so maintaining the standards that I hope to keep as I grow my production--and of 7 hives/nucs, my only loss was a nuc that never got strong to begin with and I expected to loose it.

I used no chemicals other than a single application of menthol crystals, which I heard dosn't make a difference to miteloads and I won't be using them next fall. My priorities in selecting geneitcs are 1) survivability, 2) production, and 3) gentleness. Now and in the future I want to focus on mite-resistant bees to make bees as a population stronger, rather than babying weak genetics and allowing them to propagate. In Alaska, they say the wolves strengthen the caribou--by killing the wolves, we weaken the herds since the weakest are allowed to breed instead of hunted out. (Unfortunately mankind weakens the herd further by always taking the best/strongest)

But on to the main question--how low should we go on chemical limits? In the nuclear business, they realize you can never get 'zero' radiation, so they have what is called ALARA--As Low As Reasonably Achievable. It means you take certain measures and instill certain practices, but there comes a point when it would cost billions of dollars to decrease the level by a certain amount that is a small fraction of what you'd get in a normal day anyways!

In honey production, I think we have to look at it in similar terms... How much of whatever chemical is being injested by people on a normal daily basis? There are going to be trace amounts of chemicals on any non-organically grown fruits and veggies, and probably some even on organically grown. While we can't say we provide 'organic' honey, I think its fair to advertise if you produce from treatment-free hives, and let the people willing to spend extra dollars on organic veggies pay for treatment-free costs/losses just like they do for organic produce lost to pests. I think its fairly reasonable to think that whatever chemicals are being picked up by your bees while foraging, the amount of foreign stuff in the honey will be greater if you treat annually.

[sqkcrk]

Ace, Mark aka SQKCRK is a commercial beekeeper/fellow New Yorker like yourself and lives in Brasher Falls, NY. I am sure he would let you spend a day with him to learn. He must be within just a few hours driving distance. TK

Sure, be glad for the help. There are beekeepers closer though. Three hours is along commute.

[Acebird]

the amount of foreign stuff in the honey will be greater if you treat annually.

Only if the foraging fields are identical. If someone treats but their bees are not near a toxic waste dump then they may have less residuals than someone near a dump but doesn't treat. That is the problem with bee livestock you don't have the ability to control their foraging.