Apiary Application
Pure Earth Organic Farm, Llc
Owner: Troy & Sharon BogdanFarm Address:
19000 New Richmond Road
Cambridge Springs, PA 16403
Crawford County
United States
daytime phone: 814-967-4423
evening phone: 814-967-4423
Web site: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M5225
Application Date: 2010-03-17
General Information
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to have your apiary be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program. | As a farm that is already Certified Naturally Grown, we feel that by adding bees to our certification, it increases the biodiversity of our farm and certification. |
| Is the land on which your apiary sits currently certified (by CNG or another organization)? | yes |
| Which agency is the certifier (for example CCOF, PCO, NOFA, Demeter)? What type of certification (Organic, Biodynamic, etc) does the land have? | Certified Naturally Grown |
| Has the land on which your apiary sits ever been Certified in the past? | yes |
| Who was the certifying agency (CCOF, PCO, NOFA, Demeter, etc) and what type of certification did they provide (Organic, Biodynamic)? | OCIA/IFOAM Organic |
| When was the land certified, and why is it no longer certified? | Prior to our CNG Certification, we were OCIA Certified Organic |
| How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown? | I heard about it many years ago at a farming conference. |
| Please check all markets where you sell your honey. |
Farmer's Market Farm Stand Local Resaurants CSA's Coops Health Food Stores Groceries Wholesalers LocalHarvest.com Word of Mouth Other (please specify below) |
| You may use this space to specify where customers can purchase your honey (this will be displayed on your profile to help customers find you). | |
| How many hives are in your apiary (or apiaries)? | Currently one, looking to expand to three. |
| Before continuing, please take a moment to review the 5 steps to Apiary Certification. (You may do this by clicking the link below.) Are they clear? | yes |
Apiary Location and Position
| Some beekeepers seek certification for more than one apiary. Please provide the location (or locations) of the apiary (or apiaries) for which you seek certification. | We currently have three hives on our farm. |
| Briefly describe the landscape where the apiary is located. What surrounds the apiary? What are the nectar sources? | Centrally located on our farm, we have a wide range of nectar sources including apple orchard, and 110 acres of certified field and forest-land. |
| Do you own or manage the land on which your apiary is located? (If at least one of your apiaries is on land you own or manage, answer yes.) | yes |
| Do you agree not to use on this land any synthetic materials that are not allowed under the CNG produce or honey programs? | Yes |
| Use this space to describe any land management practices you use to support the honey bee population. | We try to provide various pollinator crops, such as buckwheat and other practices such as leaving areas of Goldenrod instead of mowing it all. |
| Within each apiary for which you seek certification, do you manage any hives "conventionally", using practices or substances that are not allowed under the CNG apiary standards? | no |
| Are all hives in the apiary at least 6 inches off the ground? | yes |
Hive Construction, Components, and Comb Removal
| Do your hives have any paint or chemical treatment on the interior surface of the hive? | no |
| Do you have, or will you develop, a labeling system and schedule to ensure removal of at least 20% of brood frame per year, such that there is never brood comb present that is more than 5 years old? | yes |
| Please breifly describe your comb removal practices to date, and your plans for the coming seasons. | N/A will implement as we go. |
Apiary Transition
| Does your hive contain brood comb that A) is from another beekeeper (including from purchased nuc), or B) has been exposed to Tylan, or C) has been exposed to three or more treatments of fluvalinate (Apistan, Mavrik) or amitraz (Miticur, Taktic, or Mitak)? | no |
| Has any wax or comb in your apiary ever been exposed to coumaphos (CheckMite+) or fenpyroximate (Hivastan), or more than six indirect exposures of coumaphos (CheckMite+), hydramethylnon or fipronil (Max Force Gel roach baite) as closed trapping for SHBs? | no |
General Bee Maintenance and Care
| Describe how you maintain your bee population from one season to the next. Do you rely on survivor colonies, incorporate feral colonies, purchase new bees every year, or some combination of these and/or other practices? | We have purchased local packaged bees. We also try to catch feral swarms and are working with local breeders to obtain chemical free stock. |
| Do you sometimes feed the bees when honey supers are on the hive, or within two weeks before honey super addition? | no |
| If and when your bees require supplemental feeding, what do you feed them? Please be specific and include all ingredients. | In the Spring feed sugar water mixed with Spearmint & Lemongrass Oils for bee health and to encourage wax production. |
Management of Pests and Disease
| Varroa Mite | |
| Please briefly describe what measures you take to suppress the Varroa mite population in your hives. | Screened bottom boards and very occasional dusting with powdered sugar. |
| How do you monitor mite population levels? When and how often? | Look for mites after dusting with organic powdered sugar. |
| Before treating any hive for Varroa mites, will you monitor the Varroa mite infestation level to determine whether it exceeds the treatment threshold set by your local network? (If you run a survivor colony, and you never treat, please answer Yes.) | yes |
| If you choose to treat colonies infested with Varroa mites, will you keep records of treatment methods, along with pre- and post-treatment monitoring results? | yes |
| American and European Foulbrood | |
| How do you prevent and treat American Foulbrood (AFB) and European Foulbrood (EFB)? | Use only new equipment and burn any equipment that ever becomes suspect. |
| Nosema | |
| How do you prevent and treat Nosema? | No treatment used currently, but we think the use of Spearmint and Lemongrass oils in Spring sugar water feedings boosts bee immunity. |
| Other Diseases | |
| What has been your experience with other diseases (such as chalkbrood, viral diseases, wax moths, small hive beetle)? How have you dealt with them? How will you deal with them if they recur? | N/A |
| Pests | |
| What measures do you take, if any, to protect the hives against pests such as mice, skunks, possums, raccoons, and bears? | After a bear attack in our first season, we moved our Hives onto a platform on the side of our barn. We call it the "Bee Balcony." |
| Please describe any other practices you follow to help strengthen the bee population under your care. | Encourage feral populations. Try and collect swarms. |
Colonies Engaged in Pollination Services
| Are your colonies engaged in pollination by contract? | no |
Local Networks
| Are you a part of a local network of beekeepers using natural methods? This could be a formal network like a county beekeepers association, or it could be an informal network of beekeepers in your area with a commitment to using natural methods. | yes |
| If this is a formal network please indicate the name of the network below. (If it is not a formal network, please simply write "informal".) | I am a member of the NWPA Beekeepers Assn., and also "Burgh Bees." |
| If this is an informal network, please indicate below the names of at least two other beekeepers who participate. They do not need to be CNG beekeepers, but they do need to have some commitment to and knowledge of natural practices. (If you're part of a formal network, please simply write "see above") | Charlie Vorisek Christina Joy Neumann |
Agreements
| Please indicate your agreement with the following statements by entering your name/s in the spaces following the statements. | |
| I/we will only use the Certified Naturally Grown name and label on apiary products (honey, pollen, propolis) that are in fact from the CNG apiaries described in this application. | Troy A. Bogdan |
| I/we understand that CNG beeswax certification is a separate process (not yet available in 2010), and that the basic Apiary Certification doesn't confer CNG status on beeswax. | Troy A. Bogdan |
| I/we understand the CNG work requirements: A) To complete at least one certification inspection of another CNG apiary in my area each year. B) To arrange at least two annual inspections of my/our apiary, to be carried out by qualified inspectors as outlined in CNG informational materials. | Troy A. Bogdan |
| I/we have reviewed the Certified Naturally Grown standards, understand them, and will abide by them. I/we understand that if I/we have any questions I/we may contact CNG for clarification. | Troy A. Bogdan |
| You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm: | |
