Now that I have a larger place to garden, I thought it would be nice to have some honeybees to assist me. After all, my Dad had all the honeybee equipment that he had stored for ages. Why not make use of them and maybe receive some organic honey from my bee friends?
A ten week Beginner Beekeeping class was being offered from the local Beekeepers Association. The class is excellent and I am learning a whole lot about raising bees. I am hearing from both hobby and commercial beekeepers who have kept bees for fifteen to twenty years.
I just had no idea that there isn’t any organic honey available except maybe from Australia. I just assumed it was a natural organic product from the bees.
Well, I have learned differently. Raising bees seems to be similar to “factory farming” with the use of insecticides, fungicides, antibiotics, feeding GM corn syrup and refined white sugar, the use of artificial insemination, moving the hives over long distances,clipping of the queens wings, and the yearly replacement of queens. Besides dealing with all these internal hive stressors which would compromise their immune systems alone, they are dealing with all the external environmental pesticides, pollutants that people use on crops, produce and yards.
Now, I am being told that the bee wax that is used on the frame and foundation is full of fluvalinate and coumaphos – pesticides used in the hives to combat varroa mites. Well, I guess so if they are continually spraying all the different miticides, insecticides and fungicides all over the bees and their hives.
The other interesting process of beekeeping is to harvest all their honey in the fall and then feed the bees sugar water or corn syrup during the winter to keep them alive. Yet, the bee’s natural food is honey.Something feels wrong about this procedure. Backyard hive.com suggests harvesting the honey in the spring and allowing the bees to keep enough honey to get themselves through winter. If they need backup feed, feed them their own honey back mixed with a little warm water.
There must be someone raising bees in a more respectful and natural way. Then I found the site biobees.com– an excellent international forum and website with author/site administrator Phil J. Chandler and other expert top bar hive beekeepers from all over the world such as Germany, Great Britain, Australia, France and Spain.
I read Gunther Hauk’s book, “Toward Saving the Honeybee” which is beautifully written and very informative. Gunther has a Honeybee Sanctuary on his Spikenard Farm now located in Floyd, VA. I have taken all his well presented and insightful honeybee workshops. I have modeled my honeybee guardianship with all of Gunther’s recommendations and teachings.
I have finally found the way to raise bees with love, respect, and appreciation for their help in our survival on our beautiful earth.