Subject: Re: Organic honey

From: [email-masked] (BusyKnight)
Date: Wed, 06 Mar 1996 08:56:47 GMT

[email-masked] (Frank Battistolo) wrote:
>I recently saw some jars of organicaly grown honey! in a health food
>store.Can somebody explain to me what it is?

   Perhaps you're asking the wrong people.  Maybe you should go
back to the health food store and get the address off the label and
fire off a letter to them, asking them "what it is".  
BusyKnight
Dallas, TX

P.S. -- I would be interesed to know what they say.

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From: [email-masked] (Peter Amschel)
Date: 9 Mar 1996 16:09:07 GMT

Thanks for posting the rules for organic honey. I am complying with all those 
rules except the one on not using fine mesh filters. I filtered mine with 
nylon cloth. Can you or one of my fellow beekeepers explain to me an easy way 
to filter the honey by gravity?

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From: "Victor C. Rimkus" <[email-masked]>
Date: 8 Mar 1996 17:41:44 GMT

I have a three page description of requirements and prohibitions for 
production of organic honey from the New Mexico Organic Commodity 
Commission.

The Organic Commodity Commission
118 Amherst Drive NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106-1303
(505)266-9849

To summarize the highlights:

You cannot feed sugar or sugar syrup unless starvation is imminent. You 
cannot extract honey from combs where sugar syrup has been used.

You cannot use Apistan or Terramycin. Special rules apply for the use of 
TM covered in another section. Menthol is OK.

You cannot use sulfa products or anitbiotics.

Apiaries must be located in non-industrialized locations, away from 
commercial crop areas where insecticides are used. Must be more than 5 
miles away from landfills or dumps. Must be 5 miles from contaminated 
water, golf courses, major traffic areas. Must be at leat 2 miles from 
townsites.

You cannot use chemical bee repelannts.

You cannot use a fine mesh filter. Gravity settling is approved.

Honey cannot be stored for more than 2 years.

Artificial insemination is prohibited.

I did not make up these requirements. If you want more information please 
contact the OCC direct at the address provided above.

The OCC requires $100 per year for certification of your apiary. An 
inspection is required. An assessment of 1/2 of 1% of gross organic sales 
will be collected by the OCC. A handbook must be purchased for $15.00.

The estimated cost for certification of a $10,000 annual sales apiary is 
$165.00 the first year, and $150.00 thereafter since you only need one 
handbook (until they revise the handbook).

I have elected to not participate since I have Varroa mites and use TM 
patties and Apistan. Organic certification means nothing if my bees die.

Victor C. Rimkus, Albuquerque NM