Apiary Application
Wildwood Gardens
Owner: Rich McDonoughFarm Address:
294 Hill Climb Rd.
Stanley, VA 22851
Page County
United States
daytime phone: (540)778-2531
Web site: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M13738
Application Date: 2010-02-27
General Information
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to have your apiary be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program. | As a CNG farmer and chemical-free beekeeper, I'd like to use the certification to describe my production practices for the bee pollen and honey that I sell. |
| 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? | CNG. |
| Has the land on which your apiary sits ever been Certified in the past? | no |
| How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown? | Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Catalog. |
| 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)? | Four as of 3/1/10. |
| 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. | 294 Hill Climb Rd., Stanley, VA 22851. |
| Briefly describe the landscape where the apiary is located. What surrounds the apiary? What are the nectar sources? | Hillside location with forest and CNG farm surrounding. Nectar from Locust, Tulip-Poplar,Thistle, Mints, Clovers, Asters, Milkweed, Goldenrod. |
| 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. | Planting clovers, fruit trees, and many other bee plants. |
| 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. | Have no comb older than four years. Have used only natural replacement when damaged so far. Will develop system and schedule to ensure <5-year-old brood comb. |
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? | Rely on survivor colonies, feral and mangaged swarms, and package purchases. |
| 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. | Feed sugar syrup (1-2 parts sugar to 1 part water). Seldom feed pollen substitues with only all natural ingredients. |
Management of Pests and Disease
| Varroa Mite | |
| Please briefly describe what measures you take to suppress the Varroa mite population in your hives. | Use of survival colonies. Screened bottom-boards. Plan to try granulated sugar dusting. Plan to try drone-brood removal system. |
| How do you monitor mite population levels? When and how often? | Screened bottom-board sticky board. Aim to check 24-hour mite drop several times yearly. |
| 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)? | Keep strong colonies. Cull comb as needed. |
| Nosema | |
| How do you prevent and treat Nosema? | No treatment. Natural bee cleansing flights. |
| 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? | I've seen some 'string-wing' crawler bees and some failing colonies have succumbed to wax moth. I try to use survival colonies for natural resistance. I've used wormwood branches to repel moths from stored empty comb. |
| Pests | |
| What measures do you take, if any, to protect the hives against pests such as mice, skunks, possums, raccoons, and bears? | Hives are kept off the ground. Plan to use electric fence for bear protection. |
| Please describe any other practices you follow to help strengthen the bee population under your care. | Plan to learn queen-rearing and expand and improve local network of bee stock. |
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".) | informal |
| 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") | Nate Clarke(CNG). Dave O'Neill(CNG). Stuart Brown. |
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. | Rich McDonough |
| 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. | Rich McDonough |
| 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. | Rich McDonough |
| 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. | Rich McDonough |
| You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm: | |
