Apiary Application
Whispering Dove Ranch & Apiary
Owner: Dale & Linda KloseFarm Address:
689 Harris Creek Road
Jacksonville, NC 28540
Onslow County
United States
daytime phone: 910-455-7123
evening phone: 910-455-6305
Web site: http://www.ncagr.gov/wdbgr.htm
Application Date: 2010-01-24
General Information
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to have your apiary be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program. | We practice almost all of the recommendations that are listed in your standards already. |
| Is the land on which your apiary sits currently certified (by CNG or another organization)? | no |
| Has the land on which your apiary sits ever been Certified in the past? | no |
| How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown? | NCSBA representative Buddy Marterre. Attended the Natural Beekeeping Workshop |
| 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). | Whispering Dove Ranch & Apiary Location Onslow County Farmer's Market Jacksonville, NC, Local Craft shows through Crafter's Guild |
| How many hives are in your apiary (or apiaries)? | 18 |
| 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. | Whispering Dove Ranch & Apiary |
| Briefly describe the landscape where the apiary is located. What surrounds the apiary? What are the nectar sources? | Woodlands, pastures, creeks, crop land. Clover, dandelions, field flowers, wild flowers, galberry, tulip poplar, red maple, blackberry, sumac, holly, gum, golden rod, asters, etc. |
| 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, we agree |
| Use this space to describe any land management practices you use to support the honey bee population. | Provide natural forested areas for foraging and plant a bee garden with vegetables and flowers with available water sources. |
| 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. | We remove 3 frames per 10 frame hive body annually. |
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 split our own hives & capture our own swarms to propagate our apiary. We do not purchase any new stock but use our own survivor 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. | Cane sugar syrup with Honey B Healthy. Nothing else. |
Management of Pests and Disease
| Varroa Mite | |
| Please briefly describe what measures you take to suppress the Varroa mite population in your hives. | Hive splitting and screened bottom boards. Hives are in direct sunlight year round. |
| How do you monitor mite population levels? When and how often? | Sticky board twice a year. |
| 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)? | Regular comb replacement and removing dead outs immediately and overall sanitary practices. |
| Nosema | |
| How do you prevent and treat Nosema? | Good ventilation with screened bottom board and inner cover. All hives are in full sunlight. |
| 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? | Occasional SHB controlled with AJ's Beetle eater traps & killed directly during regular inspection. Wax moths are prevented by regular inspection and healthy queen right colonies. |
| Pests | |
| What measures do you take, if any, to protect the hives against pests such as mice, skunks, possums, raccoons, and bears? | Hive entrance reducers in place and electric fence on two sides. Hives are 12-14 inches off ground. |
| Please describe any other practices you follow to help strengthen the bee population under your care. | Maintain queen right colonies at all times with regular inspections. Provide food when needed and replace brood comb in each hive. |
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".) | Onslow County Beekeepers Association. |
| 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") | see above |
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. | Dale & Linda Klose |
| 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. | Dale & Linda Klose |
| 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. | Dale & Linda Klose |
| 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. | Dale & Linda Klose |
| You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm: | |
