Organic beekeeping

22/04/2016

1

Bio ImkereiOrganic Beekeeping

Organic beekeeping means:

Dealing with bees having regard to their nature, especially the species-specific properties. Taking into consideration their relationship with the environment, taking into account the nature, and critically assessing the beekeeper’s interventions.

EU Regulations

• REGULATIONS

Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007

on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91

• COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 889/2008

of 5 September 2008

laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products with regard to organic production, labelling and control

22/04/2016

2

Control Bodies• Member States shall set up a system of controls

and designate one or more competent authorities responsible for controls with respect to the obligations established by this Regulation in conformity with Regulation (EC) No 882/2004.

• A contract between producer and control body is made.

• The producer commits to accept the EU regulation and accept the standard control program of the control body.

• The producer must pay the costs for the control program.

Control BodiesNumber system

• The control numbers of the control agency on organic products are built up since January 1, 2011 as follows:

• Luxembourg has no own control body, but a contract with a German control body

• LU-BIO-04: Prüfverein Verarbeitung ökologische Landbauprodukte e.V., Karlsruhe

• LU-BIO-05: Kontrollverein Ökologischer Landbau e.V., Karlsruhe

• LU-BIO-06: Certisys sprl/bvba, Bolinne

• LU-BIO-07: Gesellschaft für Ressourcenschutz GfRS mbH, Göttingen

Biological Associations in Luxembourg

• Bio-Lëtzebuerg

• Demeter

22/04/2016

3

Different Bio Associations –Different Views

Demeter Bio-Lëtzebuerg EU-organic-regulation

Form of Management


Conversion of all colonies to Demeter-mode of operation necessary.

Conversion of all colonies to Bio-Lëtzebuerg mode of operation necessary.

Conversion of all colonies to organic mode of operation necessary.

Conversion


Conversion must be made withinthree years. In the meantime, the honey may be marketed as “In conversion to Demeter.“

The minimum time for conversion isone year beforemarketing honeyand wax.

The minimum time for conversion isone year beforemarketing honeyand wax.

22/04/2016

4

Hives

No polystyrene Only wooden hives

Hives


Hives must be made of natural materials like wood, straw or clay (with the exception of fixings, roof coverings, and floor screens).

The hives shall be made basically of natural materials, (for example wood, straw or clay) with the exception of fixings, roof coverings, and wire mesh.

The colonies must mainly placed in natural material, presenting no risk of contamination to the environment or the apiculture products.

Cleaning and DisinfectionDemeter Bio-Lëtzebuerg EU-organic-

regulation

The cleaning and disinfection of

hives may only be undertaken using heat (flame or hot water) or mechanically.

With heat, flame, or mechanically. In case of acute infections, the use of NaOH solution (with subsequent neutralisation withorganic acids) is permissible.

With heat, flame, or mechanically. In case of acute infections, the use of NaOH solution (with subsequent neutralisation withorganic acids) is permissible.

22/04/2016

5

Wax

Wax


Wax used for guiding strips or midribs must be natural comb or capping wax and sourced from Demeter beekeepers.

During the conversion period the wax shall be replaced with wax coming from organic beekeeping.

HoneycombsDemeter Bio-Lëtzebuerg EU-organic-

regulationThe brood area naturally enough forms a self-contained unit. Both comb and brood area must

be able to grow as the bee colony develops through building more natural comb. The brood chamber and frame size must be chosen so that the brood area can expand organically with the

combs and without being obstructed by wood from the frames. Separation barriers are not allowed as integral elements of the management system.

22/04/2016

6

Honeycombs


Super: Only in the supers may waxen midribs be used. It is nonetheless desirable to avoid their use here too.

Storage: Only the substances non-transgenic bacillusthuringiensis and aceticacid may be used to protect stored combs from wax moths

Feeding

Price: 1,73 € /kgPrice in supermarket 0,65 € /kg

FeedingDemeter Bio-Lëtzebuerg EU-organic-

regulationHoney and blossom pollen are the natural foods for bees. The aim should be to winter them on honey. Where this is not possible supplementary winter feed must contain at least 10% honey by weight. This must come from a Demeter certified source.

Chamomile tea and salt are also to be added to the feed.

All feed supplements must be of organic if not Biodynamic origin.

At the end of the production season hives must be left with reserves of honey and pollen sufficiently abundant to survive the winter.

The use of organically-produced sugar syrup or organic sugar molasses instead of organically-produced honey in artificial feeding, in particular, when it is required by climatic

conditions that provoke crystallisation of honey

22/04/2016

7

Management Systems


Clipping the wings of queens is prohibited.

Male brood is only allowed to be partially removed.

Clipping the wings of queens is prohibited.

Male brood is allowed to be removed, for purposes of varroa treatment.

Reproduction

Swarm cells Queen breeding

Breeding and Reproduction


Swarming is the natural way to increase the number of bee colonies and is the only permitted means for increasing colony numbers.

Artificial queen breeding (grafting etc.) is prohibited.

Instrumental insemination and the use of genetically modified bees are prohibited.

The replacement of the queen bees involving the killing of the old queen is permitted.

22/04/2016

8

Buying-in of Colonies


The system of management cannot rely on the continual introduction of colonies, swarms, and queens from elsewhere.

Any bees or queens purchased must, wherever possible, come from Demeter beekeepers.

If these are not available, bees and queens may come from organically certified sources.

Multiple and routine uniting of colonies as well as systematic queen replacement is not permitted.

Apiaries must be constituted by means of the division of colonies or the acquisition of swarms or hives from units complying with the provisions laid down in this Regulation. For the renovation of the apiaries 10% per year of the queen bees and swarms not complying with this Regulation can be incorporated into the organic-production unit provided that the queen bees and swarms are placed in hives with combs or comb foundations coming from organic-production units.

Honey Harvest and Storage



During the extraction, pressing, sieving, purifying, and subsequent bottling of the honey, temperatures should not exceed 35°C.

Pressurised filtration is not permitted.

Any additional heating of the honey is to be avoided.

Harvest: All equipment for the extraction and storage must be of food grade materials. Honeysieve mesh size must be no less than 0.2 mm.

Pressure filtration is prohibited.

By selecting suitable filling process heating to over 40 ° C is excluded.

Storage: cool, dark, and dry.

22/04/2016

9



As a rule, the honey should be put into the glass or metal jars which it is to be sold in immediately after extraction and before any solidification occurs. In certain situations subsequent refilling may be permitted subject to the conditions.

Storage: dark, airtight, cool. Plastic containers are not allowed.

Honey Quality


The legal requirements and criteria must be fulfilled:

Water content - measured according to DIN/AOAC -18% max and for heather honey 21.4% max.

The HMF content -measured according to Winkler - 10 mg/kg max

The Invertase level -measured according to Hadorn - must be at least 10 (except honeys with a low content of enzymes like honey from acacia).

The legal requirement must be fulfilled.

Inspector Visits

• Make a date

• Inspection of the business

• Inspection of the storage

• Query of colonies/production volumes

• Inspection of cards stock / honey book

• Possible inspection of delivery notes (food!)

• Volume calculation, for example, feed10 colonies will require 150 kg sugar in the storage still 50 kg sugar according to the delivery based 200kg.

• Sampling (honey and wax)

22/04/2016

10

Thank you for your attention!

Education

Organic beekeeping