From sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.eduFri Feb 23 23:02:55 1996 Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 06:40:06 -0800 (PST) From: "Tom Hodges (moderated newsgroup)" To: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." Subject: Re: Beekeeping, Organic Honey Links On Thu, 22 Feb 1996, Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote: > On Mon, 19 Feb 1996, Tom Hodges (moderated newsgroup) wrote: > > > I have a couple files from Spider at AOL.COM on organic honey production > > and beekeeping. They are fairly big, 20k and 12k bytes so I won't post > > them -- to keep down costs for people who pay for volume of email. If > > you want them, email me and ask for the honey file (organic honey) or > > the honey.links file (beekeeping addresses, phone numbers, and some > > internet sites. > > Tom: > > Could you email me the two honey files. > > Thanks, > > Lawrence > > : > Lawrence F. London, Jr., Venaura Farm, Chapel Hill, NC USA > london@sunSITE.unc.edu, london@mercury.interpath.net > http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london/The_Sustainable_Farmstead.html > http://www.interpath.net/~london > Organic Gardening & Permaculture Information > : > > From thodges@beta.tricity.wsu.eduSat Feb 17 07:55:47 1996 Date: Sat, 17 Feb 1996 07:26:01 -0800 (PST) From: Tom Hodges To: "Tom Hodges (moderated newsgroup)" Subject: Organic Honey? (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 19:11:40 -0500 From: Spider@aol.com To: thodges@beta.tricity.wsu.edu, sustag-L@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu Subject: Organic Honey? Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues (ISSN 0889-3764) Volume 14, Number 2 February 1996 ORGANIC HONEY?--RECENT DEVELOPMENTS At a recent honey sales seminar put on by the National Honey Board and the Minnesota Honey Producers, there was a great deal of emphasis on adding value to honey products. This idea was reinforced by Carl Loop Jr., president of the Florida Farm Bureau, discussing the October 1995 report of a task force of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) in his remarks in the February 1996 FloridAgriculture. According to Mr. Loop, besides helping producers, adding value to agricultural products would have many positive influences on the total economy. However, Mr. Loop concludes, this new "mindset" requires a change in how many segments of agriculture are presently doing business. Perhaps no challenge is greater for the agriculturalist than beginning to produce and market "organic" products. Reliance on pesticides, fertilizers and other non-organic inputs has been described as almost an "addiction" in many agricultural operations. A few years back, none of this would have been the case for honey producers who already had what many considered by fiat an organic product. But, ironically, the introduction of tracheal and Varroa bee mites has placed the beekeeper in the same position as those farmers who still rely on chemicals. The present control methods for these parasites appear to have greatly reduced the possibilities of marketing organic products from the hive. I continue to get inquiries concerning the possibility of producing organic honey, however. Other hive products also come under this rubric, including propolis, pollen and beeswax. It would be tragic, though because of honey's reputation not catastrophic, if the opportunity to sell value-added organic products was lost to the beekeeping industry. The possibility is real, however, and the industry should take note of recent activity on the organic certification front. Recent History of Organic Production: According to recent issue of Farm Aid News, Vol. 3, No. 20, December 1995, the use of organic materials in farm production dates back to the beginning of crop cultivation. However, non- organic farming has dominated our country's fields since the 1940s when synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides were introduced at relatively cheap prices offering large yield rewards. After several decades of this intensive production, farmers saw their soil deteriorate and their income shrink to below poverty- wage levels. At the same time, a growing number of consumers have become more aware of food safety issues and consequently are beginning to demand food grown without synthetic chemicals. This changing consumer demand has made it possible for many family farmers to earn a viable living from the sale of organic farm products. Historical records of organic farming trends are unavailable from the USDA, according to the newsletter, because this type of production has not been practiced on a wide scale over the past 50 years. However, private and non-profit organizations have begun tracking the progress and growth of organic production in the United States. According to a nationwide survey conducted by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), quoted in the newsletter, most organic farms are run by family farmers. Eighty-four percent are sole proprietors or family partnerships. "The reason family farmers are responsible for much of organic production is because they are able to respond more quickly and innovatively to market demand changes than someone who has a lot of overhead," explains OFRF'S Bob Scowcroft. OFRF estimates that there are approximately 4,000 state and locally certified organic farmers in the United States and another 6,000 to 8,000 farmers who meet general organic certification requirements but who are not yet certified. It also estimates that the amount of farmland devoted to organic crops has increased ten-fold since 1980. On this acreage farmers grow a variety of crops, including vegetables, fruits, herbs, fresh cut flowers, dairy products, meats, grains and beans. Organic Products Price Driven: Organic crop prices vary depending on local supply and demand conditions, according to Farm Aid News, and premiums can range from 25 to 100 percent of the conventional market price. Research quoted from the Midwest Organic Alliance, for example, found that producers growing organic soybeans received three times the price paid to growers who sold non-organic. Greg Welsh, an Iowa Extension agent and advisor to organic growers in several states, is quoted as saying growers in the Midwest receive, on average, $14 to $15 per bushel for their organically grown soybeans. Likewise New Mexico farmer Martin Connaughton says he earns up to $2 per pound for specialty, organic potatoes, compared to eight cents per pound for non-organic U.S. varieties. Consumer Demand Drives Price: The newsletter also reports that a study by Rodale Press found in 1993 that nearly two-thirds of all consumers had tried organic produce, and nearly 90 percent said they would buy organic food consistently if it cost the same as non-organic food. Some 41 percent of those consumers surveyed were willing to buy organic produce even if it cost more. As a result, sales of organic foods have increased steadily over the past four years: Sales of Organic Food Products: Year Sales in Billions 1990 $1 1991 $1.25 1992 $1.54 1993 $1.89 1994 $2.3 Source: Farm Aid News quoting The Packer, October 24, 1994; PANUPS, July 12, 1995. Organic Standards: Unfortunately, the term "organic" means different things to different people, the reason Congress promulgated Chapter 94 of U.S. Code Title 7 concerning organic certification. Under this legislation, The National Organic Program in Washington, D.C., ph 202-720-2704, is finalizing proposed standards. Once published in the Federal Register, and after a comment period, these standards will be mandated to the states for their use. However it is not known when this process will be finished; the bill called for much of this to be in place as early as 1993. In the meantime, many states have gone ahead with their own programs. A listing of U.S. Organic Certifiers is currently available on the World Wide Web site: http://www.mother.com./agaccess. The State of Florida promulgated statute 504.22-504.36, the Florida Organic Farming and Food Law in 1990. It defines "organic food" as that labeled organic or organically grown, produced, transported, distributed, processed and packaged without the use of synthetic pesticides, synthetically compounded fertilizers, synthetic growth hormones or artificial radiation, verified by a certifying agent. A certifying agent must make application to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Department's Division of Marketing and Development (ph 904-488-4277) has published a directory of licensed certifying agents and organic farms. According to my copy, there are seven agents who have certified 69 farms for a number of crops ranging from citrus to shitake mushrooms. Significantly, no honey producer or packer is among these. One of the Florida certifying agents is Florida Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc. (FOG), Box 12311, Gainesville, FL 32604, phone/fax 352-377-6345. This non-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation inspects its growers yearly. A call to their office revealed that they had no knowledge of any Florida organic honey certification. This is not surprising, considering the guidelines FOG has made available on a limited basis to those interested in the subject: A. Feeding of bees 1. Honey and bee pollen from a known certified organic source is permitted. 2. The use of sugar or sugar syrup as a regular feed source in prohibited. B. Control/prevention of disease 1. Hives should be regularly checked, with diseased hives kept separate from healthy hives. 2. Use of antibiotics in honey production is prohibited, except when the health of the colony is threatened. a. Options: i. If antibiotics are used in a health emergency, the hive must be removed and immediately taken out of organic production. ii. Only the extraction immediately following the use of antibiotics may not be sold as organic. 3. Extracting honey for organic sale from brood chambers in which antibiotics have been used is prohibited. C. Foraging areas 1. Apiaries must be located on certified organic land. 2. It is prohibited to locate apiaries within three miles of flowering agricultural crops that have been sprayed with conventional pesticides, if the bees could be using these crops for forage. 3. Apiaries may not be located within two miles of sanitary landfills, golf courses or major traffic areas. 4. Beekeepers must provide clean water and sufficient certified organic forage to feed bees throughout the season. D. Queen rearing 1. Cross breeding of bee families is encouraged, although the making of artificial swarms is permitted. 2. Artificial insemination is permitted. E. Honey treatment 1. All surfaces that honey contacts should be stainless steel or coated with beeswax. Honey may not contact galvanized steel or metal with surfaces that oxidize. 2. Mechanical uncapping of combs is preferred to uncapping with heat. In no instance should heat be higher than 95 degrees F. 3. Honey extraction facilities should be designed to prevent the spread of disease. 4. Oxidized barrels are prohibited; re-used barrels are permitted if previously used for food service. 5. Chemical bee repellents are prohibited. Those working at the National Organic Program Office couldn't give me details about the final guidelines. However, they could be very much in line with those above. If that is the case, there should be plenty of room for commentary by beekeepers and others when they appear in the Federal Register. Especially significant is the relevance of queen rearing to organic production, the absence of references to other hive products and the lack of any guidelines about tracheal and Varroa mite control. ============================================================= From thodges@beta.tricity.wsu.eduMon Feb 19 08:41:10 1996 Date: Sun, 18 Feb 1996 11:39:34 -0800 (PST) From: Tom Hodges To: "Tom Hodges (moderated newsgroup)" Subject: List Organic Honey? (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 18 Feb 1996 14:09:15 -0500 From: Spider@aol.com To: thodges@beta.tricity.wsu.edu Subject: List Organic Honey? NO, but here are some great Beekeeping sites! Keywords: bee beekeeping apis honey mead pollination pollen Last-modified:1995/05/5 This FAQ tries to list and point to all informational resources on the internet for beekeepers and apiculturists. A great old beekeeping cliche is: "there are about as many ways to keep bees as there are beekeepers."Therefore rather than list and then answer the myriad beekeeping, bee culture, and apicultural questions in a cumbersome document, specific internet resources are listed in this FAQ so that you may find your own answers, like a true beekeeper! USENET news * sci.agriculture.beekeeping Beekeeping, bee-culture and hive products. Listserv: * BEE-L BEE-L is for the discussion of research and information concerning the biology of bees. This includes honey bees and other bees (and maybe even wasps). We communicate about sociobiology, behavior, ecology, adaptation/evolution, genetics, taxonomy, physiology, pollination, and flower nectar and pollen production of bees. To subscribe to BEE-L, send e-mail to listserv@uacsc2.albany.edu with one line in the body of your message: SUBSCRIBE BEE-L To get help on how to run the listserver, send e-mail to listserv@uacsc2.albany.edu with one line in the body of your message: HELP To send a message to all current BEE-L subscribers, mail it to BEE-L@uacsc2.albany.edu. (FOR DETAILED LISTSERV INSTRUCTIONS, READ BEE-L SECTION AT END OF FAQ) * Beekeeping Home Page (WWW) http://weber.u.washington.edu/~jlks/bee.html * _Apis_ Magazine archive (WWW) http://gnv.ifas.ufl.edu:7999/~entweb/apis/apis.html * Entomology World Wide-Web Server at Colorado State University http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Entomology/ent.html * Entomology World Wide-Web Server at Iowa State University http://www.public.iastate.edu/~entomology/ * USDA-ARS Carl Hayden Bee Research Center (WWW) http://gears.tuscon.ars.ag.gov * sun1.oardc.ohio-state.edu anonymous ftp, gopher * sunsite.unc.edu WWW,anonymous ftp, gopher, telnet * http://sunsite.unc.edu/11/.pub/academic/agriculture/ sustainable_agriculture/beekeeping/ * anonymous ftp: ftp sunsite.unc.edu cd pub/academic/agriculture/sustainable_agriculture/beekeeping * gopher: gopher sunsite.unc.edu go to: The Worlds of sunsite Sustainable Agriculture Information beekeeping (it's in there, the archive is huge!) (for more information about sunsite archives contact london@sunsite.unc.edu) * ftp.ucdavis.edu anonymous ftp: ftp ftp.ucdavis.edu /pub/extension/4h-youth/bee-keeping * Beekeeping FAQ's from beenet.com How to USE: Internet E-Mail a message addressed to: HINT.103@beenet.com on subject line put the name of FAQ : HONEY ADULTERATION Thats all, you are welcome to add a message. Mail runs are 6am & 6pm. Problems, post to sysop@beenet.com .. FAQ Last update 3-10-95 name * NEW or UPDATED _________ HINT.IND THIS INDEX * HINT.101 SOURCES OF BEEKEEPING INFORMATION HINT.102 HONEY AND ITS USES HINT.103 HONEY ADULTERATION HINT.104 FLORIDA BEE INSPECTION HINT.105 FLORIDA BEARS AND BEEKEEPING HINT.106 HONEY HOUSE SANITATION HINT.107 FLORIDA HONEY LABELING REGULATIONS HINT.108 PRODUCING SECTION (COMB) HONEY HINT.109 EXHIBITING HONEY HINT.110 SAMPLE POLLINATION AGREEMENT HINT.111 SOLAR BEESWAX RENDERING AND HINTS FOR EXHIBITING WAX BLOCKS HINT.112 EXTENSION APICULTURAL VISUAL AIDS HINT.113 USING HONEY IN LARGE-QUANTITY RECIPES HINT.115 GOOD NEIGHBOR GUIDELINES AND ORDINANCES HINT.116 CHALKBROOD RECOMMENDATIONS HINT.117 HONEY MARKETING SURVEY HINT.118 PRODUCING POLLEN HINT.119 FINANCIAL MANGEMENT FOR BEEKEEPERS HINT.120 UPWARD VENTILATION HINT.121 WAX MOTH CONTROL HINT.122 BEE STINGS AND REACTIONS HINT.123 EXTENSION APICULTURE IN FLORIDA HINT.124 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND RATIOS FOR BEEKEEPING OPERATIONS HINT.125 PRESERVING WOODENWARE IN BEEKEEPING OPERATIONS HINT.126 THE VALUE OF POLLINATION BY HONEY BEES HINT.127 THE VARROA BEE MITE HINT.128 INFANT BOTULISM AND HONEY HINT.129 HONEY JUDGING AND STANDARDS HINT.130 USING THE HONEY REFRACTOMETER HINT.131 OBSERVATION BEE HIVES All HINT's courtesy of Malcolm T. Sanford, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fl Internet address:mts@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu beenet.com is a Information Service for Beekeepers & Friends, operated by Andy Nachbaur from the Wild Bee's BBS, 209-826-8107, Los Banos, Calif. * Honey Hotline NHB Food Technology Program 1 -800-356-5941 P.O. Box 281525 415-340-3568 (FAX) San Franscisco, CA 94128-1525 USA * National Honey Board 421 21 st, suite 203, Longmont, CO 80501 USA 303-776-2337 * The American Apitherapy Society,Inc. P.O. Box 54 Hartland Four Corners, VT 05049 (V) 800-823-3460 (F) 802-436-2827 (International) 802-436-2708 *International Bee Research Association 18 North Rd Cardiff CF1 3DY, UK F: (+44) 1222 665 522 V: (+44) 1222 372 409 (24 hrs) email: IBRA@cardiff.ac.uk Now putting out "B-Mail" a monthly newsletter available on the newsgroup or the listserver, soon to be archived. * Mead list: Send ONLY articles for the digest to mead@talisman.com. Use mead-request@talisman.com for [un]subscribe/admin requests. When subscribing, please include name and email address in body of message. Digest archives and FAQ are available for anonymous ftp at: ftp.stanford.edu in pub/clubs/homebrew/mead. * The Mead Association P.O. Box 4666 Grand Junction, CO 81502 1-800-693-MEAD outside US 303-442-9111 * Mead Makers Page (WWW) http://www.atd.ucar.edu/rdp/gfc/mead/mead.html * Mead book list: for a good list of books on mead mail: jkl2@Ra.MsState.edu (ask for book list). ***** Online Beekeeping Reference Sources ****** * Bees For Development (Magazine) Dr. Nicola Bradbear, ed. Bees For Development, Troy, Monmouth, NP5 4AB, UK (F) +44 1600 716167 email: 100410.2631@compuserve.com * Want to make beeswax soap? Elain White has some information. email: ewhitevhp@aol.com * Malcolm Roe is pleased to answer British beekeeping questions such as: how to get started, the addresses of local associations and equipment suppliers, where to get some bees, legal questions, etc. email roe@crosfield.co.uk * _The Hewitt Apicultural Collection_ gopher: Select Libraries and Research Services. Then Edward H Kirschbaum Library (Waterbury Campus). Lastly, Hewitt Apicultural Collection. Sheila A. Lafferty, librarian/archivist at UCONN handles this great resource. Write her for a bibliography, or questions. email wbladm03@uconnvm.uconn.edu * B-EYE bee eye simulator WWW pages that offer to "see the world through the eyes of a bee." http://cvs.anu.edu.au/andy/ Andy Giger email giger@rsbs-central.anu.edu.au * Northern Bee books Newsletter This monthly newsletter is an attempt at making information on newly appearing beebooks, as well as on those 'golden oldies' available to the beekeeping community. It is published simultaneously in BEENET, in sci.agiculture.beekeeping newsgroup and in BEE-L. Our main source of info is at Northern bee books UK, but input ( related to beebooks) from others is hereby cordially invited. Hugo Veerkamp email w.bos@voeding.tno.nl * mark your mail * -- "To Hugo Veerkamp" ***** Specialists ***** * Dr. Rick Fell, Apiculture/Entomology professor and researcher at VA Tech is available for questions, comments and queries. email rfell@vt.edu * Dr. Adrian Wenner, Biology professor and researcher at UCAL SB has available information on Yellow Jacket Control. email wenner@lifesci.lscf.ucsb.edu * Diana Sammataro, bee researcher, author, is available for Tracheal mite questions and tracheal mite information. email dsammata@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu * Jim Dixon has information on Yellow Jacket Control. email jdixon@ogopogo.educ.sfu.ca * Sharon J. Collman, W.S.U. Cooperative Extension, also has Yellow Jacket control information. email collmans@wsuvm.csc.wsu.edu * For historical bee lore questions (bees knees), and bee lore info write Warner Granade, Librarian at UVa. email jwg2y@poe.acc.virginia.edu * Pollen Information, including pollen production and pollen usage is available from Rob Bidleman. email robbee@crl.com * For free information on observation hives email bculture@aol.com ask for _Observation Hive How-To * Bee Venom contact Michael Simics at 204 - 1331 15th Ave. S.W., Calgary ,Alta., Canada T3C 0X8 Ph/Fax (403) 541-1877 email: dgscribi@system6.lcs.gov.bc.ca * BOMBUS A mailing list dedicated to Bumblebees. To subscribe, send a message to bombus-request@csi.uottawa.ca. To send a message to everyone on the list, mail it to bombus@csi.uottawa.ca. The Bombus list is maintained by Chris Plowright (plowright@csi.uottawa.ca) What is BEE-L? Charter: BEE-L is for the discussion of research and information concerning the biology of bees. This includes honey bees and other bees (and maybe even wasps). We communicate about sociobiology, behavior, ecology, adaptation/evolution, genetics, taxonomy, physiology, pollination, and flower nectar and pollen production of bees. On the technical side: BEE-L is a computerized e-mail list. All e-mail sent to the BEE-L address is duplicated and mailed to all the current subscribers on the list. The listserver (the computer that runs the list) maintains a log (archive) of all messages, and list members may request a copy of the log. The archive has a separate file for each month, and these files are currently saved for about a year. To access the listserve computer itself (i.e. to subscribe to or unsubscribe from BEE-L, to request a log file, etc.), send e-mail to the listserver address. Don't send control messages to the BEE-L address, because the message will just be sent to everyone on the list, and the computer will not do what you wanted it to do. Note that most control messages contain the list name (BEE-L) somewhere in the command, as the listserve computer generally runs many lists at any given time. How do I post a message to BEE-L? If you are on the Internet, send an e-mail message to bee-l@uacsc2.albany.edu If you are on BitNet, address your e-mail to bee-l@ALBNYVM1.BITNET Any message received at these addresses will be duplicated and mailed to everyone currently subscribed to the BEE-L list. How do I subscribe to, or unsubscribe from BEE-L? Send mail to the listserve computer (from the Internet the address is listserv@uacsc2.albany.edu from BitNet, the address is listserv@ALBNYVM1.BITNET To SUBSCRIBE, the body of your message must contain the line: SUBSCRIBE BEE-L You may abbreviate SUBSCRIBE with SUB. Be sure to substitute your real name for the placeholder. You do not need quotes or any other delimiters surrounding your name. The listserve computer will determine your address from the "From:" header in your message. To UNSUBSCRIBE, the body of your message must contain the line: SIGNOFF BEE-L You may substitute either UNSUBSCRIBE or UNSUB for the SIGNOFF in this command to remove your subscription to the list If your address has changed since you subscribed, this command will fail - write to YOUR local POSTMAST/POSTMASTER/POSTMSTR id for assistance. If that fails, then write to OWNER-BEE-L @ for assistance. If that fails, then write one of the following (these are typical addresses that should be forwarded to a person who can answer your question)