Blackberry Honey, No Pesticides used on our hives since 8/04
Having been organic farmers for 30+ years, and discovering we needed to become beekeepers because of lack of pollination due to the demise of bees, we were appalled to discover we had to use chemical pesticides to fight a tiny mite that was destroying bees. The least toxic chemical, Apistan®, normally used twice a year, was no longer killing the mites, but knocking them down to the floorboard where they revived and climbed back on the bees. These tougher Apistan® resistant mites were requiring stronger, more dangerous pesticides to kill them.
From the moment we became beekeepers in 1996, we have been trying to reduce using chemicals on our hives by using alternative methods of traps such as screened bottom boards and exotic smoke (tobacco and citrus leaves) to reduce Varroa mite infestations. These two methods allowed us to keep using the mildest miticide, Apistan, just once a year in the fall with no applications in the spring. The last time we used Apistan was in August of 2004.
In March of 2005, we began dusting our bees with ordinary powdered sugar. This amazing technique would dislodge the mites, causing them to fall below a screen and become trapped. The sugar coated bees would continue to groom themselves, causing more mites to detach. This non-toxic method is not only safe for the bees, but for the beekeeper as well. No fumes, no respirators, no gloves.
We spent the year of 2005, using powdered sugar treatments during periods where there were no honey flows so our honey would not be contaminated. After observing the bees cleaning and removing powdered sugar from the hives, we found that they do not utilize this sugar product when there are nectar sources available.
We have been producing our honey by using non-chemical forms of treatments to provide the most pure product on the market today.
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