Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => Products Of The Hive => Topic started by: brooksbeefarm on November 25, 2017, 11:50:07 am

Title: Organic Honey
Post by: brooksbeefarm on November 25, 2017, 11:50:07 am
Is there any such thing as Organic Honey??? some people claim they have organic honey, but i don't think they can get it certified? Any thought's? Jack
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: neillsayers on November 25, 2017, 12:34:25 pm
My personal opinion is, it is a very difficult claim to make. One would have to know with certainty that the bee's forage is chemical free over a 3 mile radius. That's 28 square miles. In addition, foundations, feed etc.. would all have to be sourced organically. Many foreign countries and the EU have organic certification.

There has been a lively conversation on BEE-L recently on just this subject.
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: tedh on November 25, 2017, 07:38:37 pm
Out of curiosity I've looked into this.  The FDA creates the guidlines for "organic" then a "third party" makes the inspection and certifies organic or not.  There are no FDA guidlines for organic honey.  You can however have your BEES certified as organic under the livestock guidlines.  I'll withhold my personal opinion on "organic" honey.  Ted
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: Perry on November 25, 2017, 08:01:02 pm
Terms that burn my butt.

-Pure
-All natural
-Raw

Organic isn't far off the list. :laugh:
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: Riverrat on November 25, 2017, 10:07:43 pm
Always said "Latte" is french for you paid to much for your coffee.  IMHO same holds true if you buy Honey labeled "organic" ;D
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: brooksbeefarm on November 25, 2017, 10:42:31 pm
I now have found a new reason too use the terms that contain All Natural, with Pure, Raw, Joy. :occasion14: ;D Jack
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: Wandering Man on November 26, 2017, 10:55:58 am
Out of curiosity I've looked into this.  The FDA creates the guidlines for "organic" then a "third party" makes the inspection and certifies organic or not.  There are no FDA guidlines for organic honey.  You can however have your BEES certified as organic under the livestock guidlines.  I'll withhold my personal opinion on "organic" honey.  Ted

We only eat organic bees.  I especially like the six little drumsticks.
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: apisbees on November 26, 2017, 04:57:56 pm
I prefer to hear it phrased as a beekeeper practicing Chemical Free Beekeeping. That is stating that you are controlling the part of beekeeping that you have control over. Organic honey is a hard one to prove, or disprove. You can get your honey analyzed, but they will only find things that should not be in the honey that they are testing for. I know of a couple of operations in Canada that produce Organic honey One in northern Quebec in the middle of nowhere the other on an isolated island off the BC coast.
http://mckenzieshoney.ca/ Is on the shelves on major grocery store chains but I would question their organic honey. Yes they can place the bees in Pristine non polluted areas but to call your honey Organic you whole operation should be organic from the bees to the honey house extracting line, all the way to the nectar the bees are collecting. Unless they have a totally separate organic operation, It leaves room for doubt.
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: CBT on November 26, 2017, 07:33:23 pm
You could (if you were less than reputable) name your business organic honey as a play on words not meaning your product was organic. ;D
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: Bakersdozen on November 26, 2017, 07:54:13 pm
You could (if you were less than reputable) name your business organic honey as a play on words not meaning your product was organic. ;D

If that becomes common practice, we will find the government regulating honey labels even further.   :no:
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: SmokeyBee on November 27, 2017, 07:34:30 am
I'm with Neill on this. I'm still a beginner but I understand the math he's referring to. Our local recycling dropoff is about 1.5 miles "as the bee flies" from my house. The aluminum can dumpster is always full of honey bees going after Pepsi and beer.

I hate to think that some of them are "mine", making dumpster honey.
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: Perry on November 27, 2017, 08:44:35 am
I'm with Neill on this. I'm still a beginner but I understand the math he's referring to. Our local recycling dropoff is about 1.5 miles "as the bee flies" from my house. The aluminum can dumpster is always full of honey bees going after Pepsi and beer.

I hate to think that some of them are "mine", making dumpster honey.


The marketing part of me would see a plus in that, marketing it as "re-cycled" honey. :)
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: neillsayers on November 27, 2017, 11:38:12 am

I hate to think that some of them are "mine", making dumpster honey.[/b]

The marketing part of me would see a plus in that, marketing it as "re-cycled" honey. :)

 :laugh: :laugh:
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: SmokeyBee on November 27, 2017, 05:47:56 pm
 :agree: :bee:
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: apisbees on November 28, 2017, 12:08:20 am
Be careful I an less than a block from a bottle depot and is fall I lost huge quantity's of bees to them trapping bees over their. Populations in the hives plummeted the last Half of Sept and Oct. Stopped it but not before lots of bees were killed.
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: brooksbeefarm on November 28, 2017, 11:25:34 am
In the world we live in today, it would be hard to claim most anything is purely organic when it comes to a food source! I have been treatment free for several years now except for shb traps, No chemicals in my hives and i leave plenty of honey on my hives for winter and rarely have to feed. Yes, i have lost some hives because of treatment free, But i lost hives when i did treat also! The way i look at it, someday (not to long off now) i won't be here and they are going to be on their own, so they need to learn now! My hives will be sold, but the swarms from them will have a better chance to survive. I'm Hoping! Jack
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: yukonjeff on December 02, 2017, 03:54:24 pm
I was wondering about organic certification is possible here. We have no agriculture, pesticides, herbicides, or industry here,  we have clean water no pollution outside the village, mine are now on the edge of the village, but if I moved them three miles out there would be just pristine wilderness.
Of course I treat though.
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: Perry on December 02, 2017, 04:51:53 pm
I was wondering about organic certification is possible here. We have no agriculture, pesticides, herbicides, or industry here,  we have clean water no pollution outside the village, mine are now on the edge of the village, but if I moved them three miles out there would be just pristine wilderness.
Of course I treat though.

I guess it would all depend on what you treat with.
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: yukonjeff on December 02, 2017, 10:49:05 pm
I treated with MAQs on my big hives. My nucs I used Oxy. I would guess that even though they say you can treat with MAQs not sure you should with supers on, or is it ok ?  I did this year because I was leaving the supers for winter feed.
Title: Re: Organic Honey
Post by: Perry on December 03, 2017, 09:41:51 am
MAQS can be used with honey supers on, but Oxalic cannot.
That is why MAQS were "revolutionary" compared to most other treatments, you didn't have to choose between treating or honey crop when it became necessary. Formic in many forms has been used for a very long time, but never in a manner safe enough to do with honey supers on.