Safe beekeeping products – all about eco-apiaries

The number of people who want to adhere to a healthy diet and eat only natural, high-quality products is increasing every year. About 30 million hectares of arable land around the world is under organic farming. This innovation has also affected beekeeping.

Nowadays, eco honey, or, as it is also called, organic honey, is very popular. And you can buy it in special beekeeping farms that have passed certification – that is, in eco-apiaries.

The content of the article

  • 1 Reasons for striving for naturalness
  • 2 The main provisions of the Russian SanPiN
    • 2.1 Requirements for placement and production
    • 2.2 Possible difficulties
  • 3 Requirements abroad
  • 4 Organic Standard in Ukraine
  • 5 About additional business

Reasons for striving for naturalness

For centuries, the main product of beekeeping was considered natural, safe for humans and beneficial to human health. But nowadays, cases of sale of counterfeit goods have become more frequent. Buying a package of honey, the buyer doubts its environmental friendliness.

The counterfeit production industry is successfully gaining momentum, bypassing most of the barriers in its path – low-quality bee products can be found not only in the domestic, but also in the European and American markets. This is a truly global problem.

In contrast to the destructive activities of dishonest entrepreneurs, organic beekeeping is developing, which allows maintaining the image of the industry at the proper level. Ecological beekeeping farms are supported at the state level, and the requirements for the final product are regulated in accordance with regulatory enactments.

The first regulatory documents in Russia are the additions to SanPiN under the number 2.3.2.1078-01, approved by the decree No. 26 of the Chief Sanitary Doctor in April 2008. The supplements formulate all the sanitary and epidemiological requirements for the production of bee products.

The main provisions of the Russian SanPiN

prepackaged honey

An organic product can be considered honey that meets all sanitary standards:

  • it should not contain GMO impurities;
  • additives in the form of various veterinary or agricultural drugs, antibiotics, hormonal drugs;
  • residues of agricultural fertilizers and / or pesticides;
  • Additional treatments such as heating or ionizing rays should not be used.

High-quality commercial honey contains up to 95% organic matter. The rest, with the exception of water, should be no more than 5%.

Nectar is collected exclusively from the fields set aside for organic farming. The transition period for these areas should be at least 2-3 years. That is, in the case of cultivation of perennial crops, enough time should pass before the first receipt of an eco-product.

Only environmentally friendly materials are used for production! Honey is transported in a closed container with a special mark. A certificate and a certificate confirming safety for a person must be attached. These documents can be used to trace the origin of the goods.

Requirements for placement and production

apiary worker

A number of requirements are also put forward for the location of the apiary:

  1. It should be located in an area where, within a radius of six kilometers, all farms comply with sanitary standards. Violation means the presence of radiation, biological and chemical compounds dangerous to humans, microorganisms.
  2. Do not use synthetic based repellents when working in an apiary.
  3. For the treatment of hives, only approved biological products are used. These include acetic, formic, oxalic acid, natural essential oils, and sulfur. Open fire and steam can be used for disinfection.

Possible difficulties

finished product

It should be borne in mind that the honey obtained can be sold as a pure product only a year after the start of the beekeeping farm.

And if we include here the transition period for agricultural fields from which bees will collect nectar, then it will take from 3 to 4 years before the sale under the brand “organic products” begins.

But as a result, the beekeeper will benefit – natural certified products are more expensive on the market.

Also, we must not forget that production in accordance with the above SanPiN is not an absolute indicator of environmental friendliness for foreign countries.

Requirements abroad

bees

Abroad, for example in Canada, the quality of the bee product must be additionally confirmed by a document on the welfare of a particular area. The apiary should be located in an area that has passed environmental control and received a state certificate. If the locality does not pass the check, the certificate will be refused, even if the farm is removed from sources of pollution at a sufficient distance.

In Russia, documents confirming the ecological purity of the area have not yet been issued.

Also abroad, a number of important points are taken into account that have not been reflected in Russian sanitary standards. Here are the most important ones for a modern apiary:

  • organic wax and organic sugar should be used (there is no information about them in our country, for example, it is not known how they are produced);
  • only natural material is used for the manufacture of bee houses;
  • you can not paint the hives with paint, which contains lead;
  • to combat the main bee diseases, selection is actively used, a natural increase in immunity in insects and the development of strong families – for example, queens are changed every year, drone brood is controlled, instruments, equipment, overalls are regularly disinfected, combs are updated annually;
  • drone brood is destroyed only when it is affected by Varroa mites;
  • the wings of bee “queens” are not clipped;
  • diseased bee colonies are kept exclusively in isolated areas;
  • feeding is carried out only at the expense of honey produced at the same apiary – only in rare cases is organic sugar syrup given out;
  • pasteurization or heating of commercial honey is strictly prohibited;
  • all packaging materials must not pollute nature – they are recyclable or they are environmentally friendly and completely decompose in the external environment;
  • to facilitate inspection control, special journals are kept, where all work is recorded;
  • Numerous laboratory tests are regularly carried out and the state of the surrounding area is monitored.

If all of these requirements are met, honey can be considered environmentally friendly.

Brazil is the leader in the export of eco-honey. It sells up to 20 tons of this bee product on world markets. Argentina is in second place with its 000 tons, and Mexico is in third, exporting up to 1 tons per year.

Organic Standard in Ukraine

frames with honey

European requirements apply to Ukrainian apiaries who decide to switch to organic beekeeping. Here are the most important points of document II 2-F-OT-02 (based on EC regulation 889/08):

  1. Local breeds are preferred in the management of the farm. In case of death of bees, the population is restored through the use of insects from certified organic apiaries. A special permit for breeding “simple” bees is given only after cataclysms or high mortality of insects (provided that it is impossible to purchase queens and packages from an eco-farm). Article 8, 47.
  2. The apiary is set up away from sources that can contaminate honey or lead to the death of bees. Within a radius of three kilometers, crops grown using organic methods should be grown. The nearest wild plants and forests in the area are subject to minimal human impact. Article 19.
  3. The farm is undergoing compulsory registration. All hives are assigned an identification number. The inspection body is notified of the movement of the hives within the agreed time frame. Article 78.
  4. Materials for bee houses should be made of natural wood. Vegetable oils, propolis and wax are used inside them. Article 13.
  5. Inorganic wax is used only in three cases: a) when it is not possible to purchase it from a certified manufacturer; b) when laboratory proved that it does not contain hazardous impurities; c) when it is taken from the hives of the same apiary. Article 44.
  6. Feeding insects is carried out due to the natural harvesting of honey and pollen for the winter. Feeding is performed in exceptional cases and only with organic sugar syrup or honey. The feed is dispensed after honey pumping 15 days before the next honey collection period. Long-term feeding is allowed by the supervisory authority only in case of bad weather conditions and cataclysms. Article 19, 47.
  7. Surgical influence on queens and destruction of bees in order to pump out honey is prohibited. Article 23.
  8. The use of chemically synthesized drugs, including antibiotics, is prohibited. Disinfection is carried out with open fire or steam. Rodenticides are used for pest control only in traps. Article 24.
  9. Sick hives are isolated at a separate point. Veterinary drugs are applied to them only if they are allowed in the country. The supervisory authority must be notified of the diagnosis, active substance, dosage, method of administration of the drug, duration of therapy. After treatment, all cells are replaced, the transition period is taken into account. Article 78.
  10. When infested with Varroa destructor, the drone brood is destroyed only if the parasite spreads quickly. For treatment, you can use: camphor, thymol, menthol, eucalyptol, natural acids – acetic, oxalic, lactic, formic. Article 25.
  11. Information on pumping is recorded in a special work log kept for the apiary. You cannot get honey from brood frames! The use of chemically synthesized repellents is prohibited. Article 13, 78.
  12. The product is not sold as organic (under the label eco-, bio-), if the owner simultaneously maintains several beekeeping units, in one of which inorganic keeping of bees is practiced. Article 18.
  13. All rooms, equipment, containers, instruments are subject to mandatory cleaning and disinfection in accordance with the 23rd article of the document.

List of approved disinfectants and cleaning agents for premises:

  • sodium carbonate;
  • potassium or sodium soap;
  • lime milk and lime;
  • fire and steam;
  • caustic soda;
  • hydrogen peroxide;
  • alcohol;
  • natural plant essences;
  • formaldehyde.

About additional business

There is real excitement around eco-honey. In domestic online stores, it is sold at a price of 160 rubles per package of 150-200 grams. And for 50 grams of wax, sellers ask for 50 rubles.

The main emphasis of advertisers is on naturalness, that is, the guaranteed absence of falsification.

It is also interesting that on the basis of ecological beekeeping, it is possible to create a full-fledged agritourism complex, in which guests can get in touch with wildlife.

ecotourism

For example, you can dig a pond, populate it with fish, and grow lilies there. Equip a river beach for sunbathing and swimming. And the nearby woodland will provide an opportunity for picking berries and mushrooms. Children will willingly communicate with the inhabitants of small agricultural zoos – chickens, goats, rabbits.

Lovers of romance can be given the opportunity to spend a “night in the hayloft.” Fishermen will appreciate fishing for carp, cooking fish soup on a fire. And for a full-fledged family vacation, tasting the products of the local apiary in a cafe or restaurant, sleeping on hives in specially equipped houses, visiting a bath with a honey massage is suitable.

excursion

Organic content of bees combined with agritourism is a kind of rather complicated business.… But at the same time, it is an excellent way to popularize bee products among the population and an opportunity to earn decent money. It is up to you to decide whether this occupation is up to you.

And we remind you that keeping an apiary is interesting and useful in any case. After all, honey is a traditional product that finds a place not only on our table, but is also actively used in folk medicine, modern cosmetology.

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Anna Evans

Author ✓ Farmer

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