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Some Thoughts on Natural and Organic Beekeeping

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Ben Framed:
Food for thought.

Just some thoughts concerning Natural and Organic Beekeeping. When I was a boy I read of beekeepers in the Appalachian Mountains, who kept bees, (in my opinion), as naturally as could be kept. They kept bees in bee gums. For those of you who do not know what a bee gum is, it is a provided section of hollowed out tree, cut the proper height to allow bees room to prosper. No frames, no bars placed inside. The honey was removed the hard way. As far as pest, they did not have the problems of SHB or Varroa Destructor.

In my opinion, this was as close to natural beekeeping as one can get, short of robbing wild honey from the tree itself.  Anything further is not natural beekeeping. (IMHO) 

Organic along with treatment free, whether using a Top Bar hive, Langstroth, warre or some other MODERN management avenue, is a convenient modern way to keep our bees, with the added advantage of easier, efficient  management than the old bee gum days. Affording the beekeeper as well as the bees, a better chance of success and survival, (especially since the introduction of Varroa Destructor and SHB), while upping the volume of our honey production.

Isn't it great we have the convenient choices of well advanced ways to keep our bees, opposed to and considering the roadblocks of truly natural, and the less productive days and ways of natural beegum beekeeping?  With these modern ways we are afforded the options to take better care of our bees whether Organic, TF or other methods. We simply have to make our choices of method, with the goal in mind which we are attempting to achieve. 






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Acebird:
I don't see anything natural about tearing out comb from a tree.  I see it as more of a potential risk of destroying a hive.  About the only thing I see about using hive boxes and frames that is not natural is that the bees don't initially choose the space.  In the long run they do.  It is not until you add foundation and chemicals that it becomes unnatural.

SiWolKe:


I thought about this all 6 years I'm keeping bees.

IMO
Bees in trees or any space they choose are not kept as long as nobody interferes. The moment honey combs are taken, that changes. It's not natural anymore.

I lost 7 colonies to woodpeckers, which made me a future "protector" of bees and which will allow them to survive because of me helping them by netting over the hives in winter. Stop to natural.

Bees which are kept are surviving ( protected, fed, treated, insulated...) much better than honeybees living in the wild, just like wild animals live almost double time in a zoo.

To imitate the good influences coming from nature some, like me, change to horizontal and natural comb ( no gap and high honey dome), insulation almost like in a tree, promoting the microbiom by not treating with chemicals, no artificial food, no triggering by pollen substitute on honey flow strength and so on.
But it's not natural beekeeping, because I will feed with honey combs in case of emergency, I will protect them against weather and predators, give them queens or combine when the queens get lost.

The box itself, well, you can have bees in there and I call it natural as long as they are totally left alone by humans.
I only use the good sides and prevent the cruel parts of nature.

Skeggley:
I live in an area with no SHB or varroa and there are 2 feral colony?s in tree hollows on my block, one has been there since I remember and the other used to die out each year during winter as water would funnel into the cavity, I have since added a piece of wood above it to redirect the water when it rains, it now survives winter. My plan was to do trap outs with this one to add to my apiary however I have learned that 4 hives pushes my time enough so I just let it go.
I call these natural but although I live near no crops or orchards cannot say that their feed is organic specifically but I?d say they are as natural and organic as possible although they are obviously not native so is it really even natural?
I do not treat my hived colony?s, I do not need to feed my hived colony?s. The wood bodies and frames are natural, the wax foundation is purely bees wax, the wires and nails are steel also natural. So if I did not remove honey or do the mandatory inspections would they then be natural, after all if a swarm naturally made a home out of an empty box would this be considered natural?
Obviously it would depend ones own beliefs. I?ve seen vegetables certified organic grown in green houses, under lights, even hydroponically. Would I call these organic? Natural?
If I remove fruit from a tree is it no longer organic or natural?
If I buy a native plant from the nursery and plant it at home is it natural?
Ultimately we farm bees for honey and if removing honey or doing swarm and general maintenance isn?t considered natural or organic then there is no natural beekeeping.
I consider myself a natural and organic gardener and beekeeper, others probably wouldn?t but do I care what others think?

Ben Framed:
>".Just some thoughts concerning Natural and Organic Beekeeping. When I was a boy I read of beekeepers in the Appalachian Mountains, who kept bees, (in my opinion), as naturally as could be kept. They kept bees in bee gums."
> In my opinion, this was as close to natural beekeeping as one can get[/color], short of robbing wild honey from the tree itself.  Anything further is not natural beekeeping. (IMHO)

Webster's
natural adjective
nat?​u?​ral | \ ˈna-chə-rəl  , ˈnach-rəl \
Definition of natural
B: living in or as if in a state of nature untouched by the influences of civilization and society.
c: having a form or appearance found in nature

> The wood bodies and frames are natural, the wax foundation is purely bees wax, the wires and nails are steel also natural. So if I did not remove honey or do the mandatory inspections would they then be natural, after all if a swarm naturally made a home out of an empty box would this be considered natural?
Obviously it would depend ones own beliefs

Obviously.   :wink:    As close to natural as you can get was the theme of my post. lol. Thanks for your comments Skeggley. ones own beliefs are respected. I see your points.





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