Apiary Application

Barton Bees

Owner: Michael Barton

Farm Address:
28 Old Mill Rd
Wallkill, NY 12589
Orange County
United States

Application Date: 2012-01-15

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.	28 old mill rd wallkill, ny 12589
Briefly describe the landscape where the apiary is located. What surrounds the apiary? What are the nectar sources?	forest, rural residential
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.	none that I'm aware
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.	Up to this time, I simply eyeball the wax and remove darker frames. In the future, I plan to mark each brood frame with the year it was introduced.

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?	survivors, spring packages and swarms.
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.	sugar water. 1 to 1 in the spring and 2 sugar to 1 water in the fall. For the past few years I've been making and putting sugar boards on the hives for winter emergency feed. 50 lb cane sugar 12T apple cider vinegar 1 gallon water bring to 250 degrees remove from heat and let cool to 200 degrees quickly pour into forms

Management of Pests and Disease

Varroa Mite
Please briefly describe what measures you take to suppress the Varroa mite population in your hives.	drone frame removal, oxalic acid fume and in an extreme case ... maqs or apiguard
How do you monitor mite population levels? When and how often?	uncap drone brood and count mites (all season). check natural drop (all season).
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)?	maintain good hygene, remove old comb, keep bee yard and equipment clean. I've never treated for foulbrood and have never had a problem. I have been inspected yearly by nys inspectors until that stopped due to nys budget cuts.
Nosema
How do you prevent and treat Nosema?	past 3 years ... no treatment. prior to that, I was using fumidil with Fall feeding only (as per cornell U recomendation)
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?	chalkbrood, none; viral, none; wax moths, store frames on the hive or in light until a freeze; small hive beetle, no treatment, extract frames same day as they're removed from the hive and get them back on the hive same day or no later then the next day.
Pests
What measures do you take, if any, to protect the hives against pests such as mice, skunks, possums, raccoons, and bears?	mice, wire screen entrances; skunks, all hives are on pallets; possums (never had a problem); raccoons (never had a problem); bears, I don't protect against bear. Twice in 16 years I got hit. I just put the hive back together and hope the bees survive.
Please describe any other practices you follow to help strengthen the bee population under your care.	I (recently) have been treating for varoa in the spring. I work my bees wearing shorts and a tee shirt. No veil, no gloves. I don't sqash many bees. We're gentle, calm, efective and efficient. I extract honey approx 8 times during the season and add the wet frames right back on the hive. I believe this stimulates the Bees. I expand and reduce the brood space to fit the queen's ability / desire to increase the population. I try to check each hive no less then 7 days and no more then 10 days apart (not always possible). I raise my own queens from my strongest surviver(s) using a Jenter box. I've also grafted in the past after taking a queen rearing class at cornell. I insulate (using various methods) for the winter.

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".)	ulster county beekeepers
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.	Michael Barton
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.	Michael Barton
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.	Michael Barton
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.	Michael Barton
You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm: