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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Food Grade Mineral Oil Study

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Loren Davidson <loren@farwalker.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Food Grade Mineral Oil Study
  • Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 11:43:43 -0700

At 02:28 PM 8/13/03 -0400, Eugene F. Monaco wrote:
Info on organic beekeeping (apiculture). As I understand it, there is no
organic honey produced in the USA except for where the Food Grade Mineral
Oil is used, because the mites will kill 95% of the hive each year making it
otherwise impractical.

Actually, there is a trend in beekeeping now to use fewer miticides and more non-chemical controls, because (as one might expect) the little buggers are developing resistance to the chemical miticides. Non-chemical means other than FGMO include breeding queens whose brood exhibit "hygienic behavior" (clean themselves and the hive more often), screened bottom boards (the mites fall off and can't climb back on), etc.

Also, the current chemical treatments for mites are supposed to be used in the "off season" when there isn't a strong nectar flow. Use during the nectar flow season is restricted or forbidden, because at that time of the year the stuff *will* get into the honey.

Of far more concern to an "organic" designation for honey is that honeybees can fly up to several miles in a given direction, and it's challenging to prove that there haven't been any agrochemicals used on whatever they're feeding on.

FGMO has been approved in Canada, but not the US.

I believe that the actual losses to varroa and tracheal mites in hives not using chemical treatments can be kept down below 30%, if other hive management techniques are used. And some strains of bees are developing resistance to the mites as well in various ways, particularly in terms of their behaviors.

The above information is my hazy recollection of numerous articles in the American Bee Journal.

Build soil,

Loren


Loren Davidson Earth steward, healer, singer/songwriter
loren@farwalker.com http://www.earthspring.org/loren/
AIM: loren334 ICQ: 65291610
Loren's album & music info: http://www.lorendavidson.com
"In gentleness there is great strength." - Sun Bear





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