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Author Topic: Brand new to beekeeping  (Read 4469 times)

Offline xeresana

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Brand new to beekeeping
« on: December 13, 2007, 10:39:14 pm »
Hi there.  My husband will be starting our first little hive this spring.  We keep our yard organic and would really like to do the same with the bees.  Can anyone recommend some books/mentors/advice/anything?  Is it very difficult to keep the bees organic?

Thanks. :)

Offline Robo

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Re: Brand new to beekeeping
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2007, 11:09:18 pm »
Use the search function,  it has been discussed many times already.
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Offline Understudy

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Re: Brand new to beekeeping
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2007, 12:01:47 am »
Welcome aboard.

We also have several members in the Texas area that also may be able to help.

Check with you local beekeepers group. That is a good start. Check out Dee Lusby in a search engine also she will bring up lots of great articles by her.

Organic is a difficult topic to approach with clearly defined lines in beekeeping.
There is an accepted standard but not a recognized standard in the US.
Honey that is labeled organic is considered to have come from bees that are not treated with chemicals and the surrounding two mile area is also chemical free and organic. Can you guarantee that none of your neighbors within a two mile area use any chemicals at all in their yards or grass?
If not you can advertise your honey as Chemical Free but not Organic(At least among the accepted standard).

Things can't get even more difficult from there. because there are those who use non chemical treatments in their hives and those that say anything added to a hive is a violation. And then there are those hives that will get over run by pests because of a lack of treatments also.

The best way to go into this is with specific questions and expecting non specific answers.

I would recommend just start reading some basic books beekeeping for Dummies the ABC/XYZ of Beekeeping. Even read about the chemical treatments. You just don't have to use them.

Also look at Michael Bush's website and absorb it into your being. http://www.bushfarms.com/bees

Start with beekeeping and then work up to non chemical beekeeping.Don't worry it's not as big of a jump as you might think. The big jump is in starting to beekeep.

Sincerely,
Brendhan


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Offline Michael Bush

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Offline Carriage House Farm

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Re: Brand new to beekeeping
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2007, 09:49:08 pm »
Hi there.  My husband will be starting our first little hive this spring.  We keep our yard organic and would really like to do the same with the bees.  Can anyone recommend some books/mentors/advice/anything?  Is it very difficult to keep the bees organic?

Out of curiosity how big is your yard and do you live in the city?
Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: Brand new to beekeeping
« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2007, 11:52:28 am »
Out of curiosity how big is your yard and do you live in the city?

That is a good question. I gather from another post they live in town. No way that will be organic honey. You have no control of what everybody uses on their plants in a five mile radius.

But you can still "keep" your bee organically.
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