Apiary Application
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Sweet Betty Bee's Honey and Hive, LLC
Owner: Ed and Lyne VendelyFarm Address:
640 North Fork Road
Marshall, NC 28753
Madison County
United States
daytime phone: 828-273-8487
evening phone: 828-273-8487
Web site: http://www.sweetbettybees.com
Application Date: 2010-03-27
General Information
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to have your apiary be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program. | We have managed our bee operation free of chemicals since we started in 2001 and we'd like to be recognized for that in order to support the pricing we place on our product sold. It seems that your certification program makes most sense compared to trying to get certified as Organic via Dept of Agriculture. |
| 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? | through A.S.A.P and also the State Beekeeper Association/David Tarpy @ NC Sate University. A friend of mine is Certified with you (Windy Ridge Farm) and we also keep about half our bees on a farm previously Certified Organic(Flying Cloud Farm) so know a bit about what was involved with that. |
| 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). | Our honey can be purchased directly from us, from our website, and in the following stores subject to seasonal availability: Greenlife Grocery, Earthfare/@ westgate, French Broad Food Coop, Trout Lily Market, Laurie's Cafe, Asheville Chamber gift shop, Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center. We also sell weekly at the Madison County Tailgate Market, and sometimes at the Asheville City Market. |
| How many hives are in your apiary (or apiaries)? | 15 up to 35 |
| 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. | our main location is at our current home; 34 Hemphill Knoll Rd. and our other site is at Flying Cloud Farm in Fairview/Hickory Nut Gap area. We plan to move our main apiary later this Fall to a new home and farm property we are building at in the North Fork area of Madison County. |
| Briefly describe the landscape where the apiary is located. What surrounds the apiary? What are the nectar sources? | Main apiary at our home is on 3 acres, in Reynolds area (rural subdivisions are close by. It's mostly wooded, with Tulip Poplar, wild blackberry/raspberry, Maple, Locust and Sourwood trees plus wildflowers abound. WE have many cultivated flowers and herbs as well. We are within flight range of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our second apiary location is at the Flying Cloud Farm, and information can be found on their website ( http://www.flyingcloudfarm.net/ ). At this location, our bees forage on strawberry blossoms, multiple varieties of cultivated flowers and vegetable plants, blackberry/raspberry, blueberries and surrounding farm acreage with trees, crops and wildflowers. Flying Cloud Farm follows OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute)practices with approved minerals and fertilizers, annual soil testing, crop rotation, beneficial insect habitat, and careful planning for insect and weed issues. The adjacent Hickory Nut Gap Farm also follows these organic principles. |
| 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 . Never have and never will. |
| Use this space to describe any land management practices you use to support the honey bee population. | this is explained above and on our website. |
| 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 have always written "year built dates" on the top of our comb frames and have intended to rotate them every out 5 years, but we have not done the actual rotation consistently since we have never used pesticide/chemical treatments of any kind. We also often times don't use commercial foundation and instead allow the bees to build their own comb from starter strips. We'll need to begin doing this comb rotation more religiously according to CNG standards. |
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 breed new colonies (queens) from our own survivor colonies, and we try to purchase two or three new queens and/or nucs yearly (mostly Russian breeder stock) to introduce new genetics into our stock. We have also added to our colonies from swarms, but cannot know if they are from feral bees or from our own bees or from another apiary. The purchases we make are from other beekeepers or breeders who don't treat their bees with chemicals/pesticides. |
| 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. | We DO NOT feed our bees any sugar syrup, HFCS or pollen substitutes... we only feed them their own honey/pollen, leaving enough in their hives to survive on their own stuff. We don't try to artificially build them up early in the season, allowing them to be natural. We have fed sugar syrup (cane sugar)to them during our first couple years of beekeeping, but since then feel that they know best and so we let them alone in this respect. We build our apiary from the survivor stock. |
Management of Pests and Disease
| Varroa Mite | |
| Please briefly describe what measures you take to suppress the Varroa mite population in your hives. | We do not do any treatments at all. We used to do powdered sugar shakes, but quit this also about 5 years ago. We breed from Survivor stock. We use screen bottom boards, keep hives in sun, keep them 12 to 18 inches off ground and provide top ventilation. |
| How do you monitor mite population levels? When and how often? | We sometimes use sticky board method to monitor if we suspect problem hive, but rarely even do that. |
| 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)? | We don't treat. We don't buy used equipment. We sometimes rotate out old comb. |
| Nosema | |
| How do you prevent and treat Nosema? | We don't treat. Prevention only per above management discussions. |
| 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? | We've had no issues with chalkbrood. We have had some wax moth and hive beetle issues, but if hives are strong, they have not been a problem. We don't treat for anything....keeping hives in sun and off ground helps deter any beetle problems in addition to strong hives. |
| Pests | |
| What measures do you take, if any, to protect the hives against pests such as mice, skunks, possums, raccoons, and bears? | we use entrance reducers and we use electric fence as needed to deter bears, and I've run out shouting and growling and banging pots and shining flashlights in many a bears face! |
| Please describe any other practices you follow to help strengthen the bee population under your care. | I believe I've covered this above, other than we do try and split strong hives which also helps control Varroa.... |
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") | Lee Banks, Carl Chesick, Steve Langefeld, Jon Christie |
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. | Ed and Lyne Vendely |
| 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. | Ed and Lyne Vendely |
| 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. | Ed and Lyne Vendely |
| 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. | Ed and Lyne Vendely |
| You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm: | |
