Sunday, August 16, 2009

As close to organic as possible

I've been working with honey bees for a short time, and all of my hives are completely chemical-free. I use essential oils such as wintergreen, tea tree, and patchouli oil, or minerals like sassolite and salt to treat honey bee diseases, parasites, and pests. That said, I understand the essential oils I'm using are refined substances... but I like those far better than chemicals which have been specifically manufactured as medicine or poisons. I can't control where my bees will forage, but I can control what I deliberately put in a hive. I use store bought 4.9mm foundation in brood areas, and home made wax for the honey supers, which is then free drawn by the bees to whatever size honeycomb they prefer, in all natural beeswax. I'm happy to teach people to use the techniques I use. For example, my bees are fairly calm, and I work my hives wearing no protection. For the bigger jobs, I'll use a little smoke. I'm also happy to sell my excess queens to local area beekeepers, so they may enjoy a more relaxed hive management experience.

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