Apiary Application
Squash Blossom Farm
Owner: Gael MintonFarm Address:
430 Este Es Place
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557
Taos County
United States
Mailing Address:
PO Box 2649
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557
United States
daytime phone: 575.751.4681
Application Date: 2011-03-03
General Information
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to have your apiary be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program. | I have been keeping bees since April 2008 and want my apiary to have certification like my produce. My farm is a CSA. |
| 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? | From a fellow farmer |
| 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). | I only sell honey to local neighbors and my CSA members. |
| How many hives are in your apiary (or apiaries)? | 2 and 1 will be added this season |
| 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. | One apiary located on Squash Blossom Farm |
| Briefly describe the landscape where the apiary is located. What surrounds the apiary? What are the nectar sources? | Alfalfa fields and a wide variety of flowers: annuals, perennials and orchards. |
| 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. | Provide many diverse nectar sources and water |
| 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. | In the spring, I remove all old dark comb. During the season after old comb is free of brood, I remove all old 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? | I rely on survivor colonies and purchase a new queen if needed. |
| 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. | I do not feed my bees anything except their own honey left for winter. |
Management of Pests and Disease
| Varroa Mite | |
| Please briefly describe what measures you take to suppress the Varroa mite population in your hives. | I suppress Varroa mites by moving combs and leaving spacer bars between combs so that bees have space and good circulation. In 3 years I have never had Varroa mites. |
| How do you monitor mite population levels? When and how often? | I inspect and manage each hive at least every 2 weeks from May-September. |
| 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)? | I do not treat for these diseases. I prevent by keeping my hives clean and adjusting comb spacing and dividing hive when overpopulated. |
| Nosema | |
| How do you prevent and treat Nosema? | Same as above. |
| 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? | In 3 years of beekeeping I have had no disease problems. |
| Pests | |
| What measures do you take, if any, to protect the hives against pests such as mice, skunks, possums, raccoons, and bears? | My hives are on a platform 3 feet above the ground. So far, I have not had a skunk, raccoon or bear problem. |
| Please describe any other practices you follow to help strengthen the bee population under your care. | For winter, I leave a good supply of honey after final harvest and insulate the sides, top and bottom of the hives. In the spring I remove this insulation and the hives are positioned with tree shade from noon through the strong afternoon sun. |
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") | Emmett Marx Melissa Bell |
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. | Gael Minton |
| 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. | Gael Minton |
| 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. | Gael Minton |
| 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. | Gael Minton |
| You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm: | |
