Organic honey ?

[For want of a better word]

I was asked today by a sweet old lady noticing me hefting the out apiary hives if my bees produce organic honey?

I could only reply that the bees could forage for a 3 mile radius and I supposed that it would depend how the forage was grown?

What would your reply have been !

in correct sub sub section I hope!

 

[tonybloke]

my reply would be
"they'd like to produce organic honey, but some folk insist on using man-made chemicals in their gardens"

 

[Finman]

.

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/03/birds-bees-and-fish-why-are-so-many-ceratures-dying-in-2011/


Birds, Bees and Fish: Why Are So Many Creatures Dying in 2011?

So they say in news but honey is clean and organic!

Did you say that you use Oxalic Acid Vaporization.

 

[For want of a better word]

Did you say that you use Oxalic Acid Vaporization.


not on myself !

 

[Finman]

Did you say that you use Oxalic Acid Vaporization.


not on myself !

I think that you have got too much allready.

 

[Nomadickarl]

You cant get organic honey produced in the UK, there is no where that homosapiens haven't interferred with and messed up i.e roads, modern agriculture etc. Too little land and too many peeps.

 

[Chris B]

I would say "It's better than organic, it's pure".

 

[DontWorryBeeHappy]

Chris B,

You should be a politician!

 

[tonybloke]

there is no where that homosapiens haven't interferred with and messed up i.e roads, modern agriculture etc. Too little land and too many peeps.

sorry to disagree, but I know of a few certified organic farms in Norfolk, where the whole farm is organic.
http://www.courtyardfarm.co.uk/

 

[RoofTops]

My answer would have been that as far as possible I keep my bees according to the rules set out by the Soil Association for organic honey, which allows for example the use of OA, thymol and formic acid. I would have kept quiet about the bits I don't follow, such as clipping queens and destruction of brood if I do a shook swarm. Other than that I am sticking pretty close to their rules, including not feeding them granulated sugar. Er, except for the nuc and one hive which are getting a bit of fondant.

Keeping strictly to their rules is difficult and of course you need to comply with these killer criteria if you want to call the honey organic:

"Make sure nectar and pollen sources, within four miles of your apiary,
consist essentially of:

i. organic crops, and/or
ii. uncultivated areas with natural vegetation, and
iii. crops that have only been managed with low environmental
impact methods (such as those grown under Regulation (EEC)
No. 2078/92) and which cannot significantly affect the organic
description of beekeeping, and

• keep them far enough from potential sources of contamination, such as
urban centres, motorways, industrial areas, waste dumps and waste
incinerators.​

With our approval, you may site your apiaries on land that:

• only has naturally occurring vegetation, and
• has not been treated with any substances we do not allow."​

Places fulfilling those criteria are somewhat difficult to find around where I live. It is the 4 mile radius which is the problem. There are plenty of organic farms but a 4 mile radius is 50 square miles or over 30,000 acres.

 

[drstitson]

"sorry to disagree, but I know of a few certified organic farms in Norfolk, where the whole farm is organic.
http://www.courtyardfarm.co.uk/"

sure the whole farm is organic meaning that any produce/livestock is approved BUT you can't control where bees forage.

how many of these farms are crossed or border roads that the council may well spray? or chemical loving gardeners nearby.

and how big are these farms - LASI data suggests bees actually forage up to 12km.

 

[sugarbush]

I always tell people there is no such thing as organic honey. Even though the USDA will certify honey as organic under certain circumstances.

 

[Black Comb]

I asked a commercial bottler about his organic honey. "it comes from wild regions of Argentina, no cultivation for many many miles"

 

[Chris B]

I asked a commercial bottler about his organic honey. "it comes from wild regions of Argentina, no cultivation for many many miles"

Does anyone know if "food miles" form part of organic regulations?
(Then again what's another few thousand miles after the bees have done 6 earth orbits collecting the stuff?)

 

[sugarbush]

I asked a commercial bottler about his organic honey. "it comes from wild regions of Argentina, no cultivation for many many miles"

What I don't like about this answer is that I cannot, as a consumer, verify that.

 

[drstitson]

most of the organic lines from Littleover apiaries comes from New Zealand.

You only have to watch a peter jackson film to appreciate the possibility of true organic sourcing there!

 

[sugarbush]

most of the organic lines from Littleover apiaries comes from New Zealand.

You only have to watch a peter jackson film to appreciate the possibility of true organic sourcing there!

It is rather small at only half the size of the state of California. I think a single hive could cover the whole country.