Please briefly tell us why you are applying to have your apiary be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program.

We believe strongly that the food we eat and produce should be natural and healthy the way that God had intended and not genetically modified of full of chemical contaminants.

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?

Local Harvest

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).

http://shop.halleluyahhoney.com Grass Roots Natural Foods (Lake Tahoe) Basket Case Organics

How many hives are in your apiary (or apiaries)?

57

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

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.

We seek certification for 57 colonies in 12 yards. (The colonies for pollination are not included in this application.) The three main yards are at 901 Alyce Ct, Carson City Nevada 89701, 1731 FootHills Road, 1335 Centerville Ln Gardnerville, NV 89410. Some yards are back yards and contain only one or a few colonies.

Briefly describe the landscape where the apiary is located. What surrounds the apiary? What are the nectar sources?

Russian Olive, Locust, Sage, Alfalfa, Blue Berry, Black Berry, Rabbit Brush, Clover, Dandelion, Desert Peach, Manzanita, Elderberry, Sunflower, Buck Wheat, Vetch 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 have followed organic standards for our property and gardens for 4+ years.

Use this space to describe any land management practices you use to support the honey bee population.

We have a small hobby farm where we have our own chickens, goats, and occasionally our cow. We have several gardens along with large gardens for buckwheat sunflower and vetch.

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

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.

All of our frames are from 2010 or newer. We started marking each new frame last year (2011) so that we can properly cull older frames.

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

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?

For the most part we have strong survivor colonies, we supplement winter losses first with our own divides, then with feral colonies and with package bees as a last resort.

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.

When feeding is necessary we feed with syrup mixed from 100% cane sugar and water (no beet or GMO sugars). We also use Honey B Healthy or Pro Health and Nozevit.

Varroa Mite

Please briefly describe what measures you take to suppress the Varroa mite population in your hives.

We use MAQS II or powdered sugar. We want to try hopguard but it hasn't been approved for our state.

How do you monitor mite population levels? When and how often?

The use of sticky boards and or powder sugar roll in the spring and fall.

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 have never had FB. We keep our equipment and tools clean. We have begun to separate equipment from each yard.

Nosema

How do you prevent and treat Nosema?

We prevent Nosema by keeping our colonies strong and healthy. We supplement with Nozevit in spring and fall.

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 have only had a few instances of chalk brood. We did not have to treat however we removed the frame and cleaned the bottom board. We have replaced failing queens. We do not have SHB in our area and have never had Wax Moths in an active colony.

Pests

What measures do you take, if any, to protect the hives against pests such as mice, skunks, possums, raccoons, and bears?

We try not to place our colonies in areas known to have bears. If I did I would use and electric fence and or a critter gitter. We raise and remove colonies bothered by skunks or place tack strips in front of colonies, for mice we use entrance metal reducers in the winter.

Please describe any other practices you follow to help strengthen the bee population under your care.

Our bees are located in areas with lots of natural flora and in the vicinity of fields of alfalfa, dandelion, vetch, clover etc. We actively monitor the strength and condition of the colonies and assist them as needed. We try to increase the strength of our colonies by making increases from survivor or feral colonies. All our our colonies are near natural or artificial water sources.

Are your colonies engaged in pollination by contract?

no

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")

Timber Wood Tom Aufrance

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.

James Ellis

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.

James Ellis

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.

James Ellis

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.

James Ellis

You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm: