Apiary Application

Hendershot Apiaries

Owner: Paul Hendershot

Farm Address:
Canandaigua, NY
United States

daytime phone: contact via email

Application Date: 2010-08-19

General Information

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.	home apiary only at this time
Briefly describe the landscape where the apiary is located. What surrounds the apiary? What are the nectar sources?	Backyard, 6 acres. Small organic garden. Rural setting, lots of open fields nearby. Nectar/pollen sources include include maples, apple, clover, dandelion, black raspberries, blueberries, elderberries, catalpa, glodenrod, aster
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 have been planting for nectar and pollen, including edible landscaping. We let the glodenrod and clover grow where thay want. Our vegetable garden has always been organic and has been No-Till for 5 years.
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.	Having bees for only three years and this years current expansion from 3 colonies to 20, most of the comb is new. When nucs are bought home, their comb is rotated out by placing those frames above an queen excluder, allowing the brood to emerge and then either replacing the foundation or, more often, the entire frame. All new frames this season and last are dated.

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)?	yes
Will you ensure that, through brood comb replacement or operation expansion, no more than 40% of the exposed comb will be present in the apiaries to be certified, AND that the exposed comb that remains will be marked and removed from your apiary within two years? Your apiary will have transitional status until all exposed comb is replaced.	yes
Please indicate the month and year when you expect you will have replaced all marked brood comb (the comb that was purchased from another beekeeper, treated with Tylan, and/or exposed to three or more more treatments of fluvalinate or amitraz)?	comb from purchased nucs will be removed by early summer 2011
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?	Combination of swarms, overwinterd colonies and nucs, and queens raised here. This spring bees and queens were purchased from several sources in the NorthEast from treatment-free apiaries.
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.	Have only fed sugar water and Honey-B-Healthy.

Management of Pests and Disease

Varroa Mite
Please briefly describe what measures you take to suppress the Varroa mite population in your hives.	The biggest thing we have done is to concentrate on genetics, using Russians, SMR, and survivors. Also used are screened bottom boards, sugar dusting, drone trapping and are starting to make summer increase nucs for overwintering. Have used Apiguard in the past, but are considering stopping.
How do you monitor mite population levels? When and how often?	Mostly just in the fall, but this year have used a sticky board under the screened bottom after a sugar dusting a few times in the summer.
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)?	All clothing is washed after returning from another apiary. Have not had, to my knowledge, and AFB, EFB here or in the area.
Nosema
How do you prevent and treat Nosema?	Survivor and resistant stock. Honey-B-Healthy in sugar water.
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?	Some chalk last spring. That hive was moved to a sunnier location and given better ventilation. Very few SHB, have used AJ's Bettle Eater trap with oil and cider vinegar. For the most part we have found that strong, healthy colonies do not have much problem dealing with pests and parasites on their own.
Pests
What measures do you take, if any, to protect the hives against pests such as mice, skunks, possums, raccoons, and bears?	Hives stands were built using 2x10 lumber. Mouse guards go on in the fall.
Please describe any other practices you follow to help strengthen the bee population under your care.	We have been concentrating on genetics and genetic diversity in the apiary, buying only Northern raised, winter-hardy stock from reliable sources. Next summer we plan to start raising our own queens and selecting for mite tolerance.

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".)	Member of Ontario-Finger Lakes 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.	Paul Hendershot
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.	Paul Hendershot
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.	Paul Hendershot
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.	Paul Hendershot
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