Beekeeping Considering The Character Of Bees - Certification - Quality Of Beewax - Council

The vitality of the beecolonies depends on the particular way beecolonies are being kept. However, you'll hardly find beescientists giving a useful instruction, manual or tutorial for that kind of beekeeping. Neither in books or bee-journals nor in the internet.

In the previous letters (# 12-31) we turned out the characteristics of ecological beekeeping or better beekeeping considering the character of bees. We also entered into details regarding the importance of bees from spiritual / anthroposophical point of view, last but not least the connection between the decrease of birthrate in Europien and north american Countries and the decrease of beecolonies in these countries.

The condition for an increase of beecolonies in an area depends naturally first of all on the vitality of the colonies. On this topic even beescientists are able to give rather useful hints. Mr. Gerhard Liebig tells us for instance: „Vital colonies can deal anytime with all kinds of weather. They are eager to breed and clean. They stay healthy, because they are able to compete with potential pathogens and fight off the robbers and enemies. On top of that they show a high resourcefulness by detecting flows and convince by eagerness in collecting." Correctly he notes, vitality means also eagerness in stining and swarming. (Dbj 3/2006, p.18)

The vitality of the beecolonies depends on the particular way beecolonies are being kept. However, you'll hardly find beescientists giving a useful instruction, manual or tutorial for that kind of beekeeping. Neither in books or bee-journals nor in the internet.

A further condition is that beeproduce, especially honey and beewax need to meet destined standards. These standards can only be met, if the prices for these products on market are high enough to support by that a kind of beekeeping which considers the character of bees.

According to Stefan Bogdanov and his crew from "Schweizerischen Zentrum für Bienenforschung" agriculture and environment contaminate beewax only little. The apiary itself is the source for contamination. One needs to attach the greatest importance to varroa exterminators, and waxmoth exterminator Paradichlorbenzol (PDCB). A heightened Coumaphos-concentration in wax can be even toxic to queens. Bad side effects on brood and health of bees can't be excluded also by lower wax concentrations. The accumulation of Varroazides in combwax leads to a kind „long-term-therapy" of Varroa, which can cause resistances. (Dbj, 4/2006,p153-155)

Beewax being used in pharmacy, needs to be residue free. „For the time being there is no uncontaminated beewax on the Europien market. Such beewax needs to be imported from Africa" (Dbj, 4/2006,p153-155) - Only in the centre for ecological Apiculture and its certified member apiaries uncontaminated beewax is being produced, as these apiaries work completely without foundations and the beewax is harvested from combs drawn out naturally by the bees.

The company Sonnentracht Imkerei GmbH offers organic honey and comb-honey from honeyexport countries, which are well known for growing genetically engineered crops who meanwhile have run wild; these countries are especially Romania, Bulgaria, South- and Centralamerica like Argentina, Brasil, Mexico. As there are for the time being no significant certifiers for ecological beekeeping in these countries, it is not clear how the company Sonnentracht-Imkerei wants to offer irreproachable honey and comb-honey from these countries. Of course, they are working with low prices and nobody doubts about their low prices; but if they say: „Comb-honey specialities - enjoy honey in the most natural way" or if they speak about „best quality" (Dbj, 4/2006, p 186), one is somehow a bit astonished. General certifications according international Food Standards and a Retail Consortium can't obscure the fact that there aren't any sufficient product certifications in these countries.

On top of that are consumer misleading honeyfalsifications with sirupe not so rarely. For many countries, as for instance Hungary, it applies the following: If there are no significant certifiers for beekeeping considering the character of bees „large quantities of honeyfalsifications are carried out" (iT-Magazin 1/2006, p.14).

At the conference of the working group „honey" in the end of November 2005 in Brussels (Copa/Cogeca AG) it was reported, there is the same trend in all countries: Decrease of production. From Italy it was reported, that there can be found on market  „latterly also contaminated honey with new Antibiotika of the kind of Fluorchinolone" (iT-Magazin 1/2006, p.5-7)

Only a proper certification in ecological apiculture or beekeeping considering the character of bees can give beeproduce-safety to the consumer.

In that case also higher prices are adequate, as they are first of all able to support financially an ecological beekeeping which considers the character of bees. A membership for instance in the Honeybee Stewardship Council is also useful, but the main support of that kind beekeeping is carried out by the price of the beeproduce.