MB what is this?????

[TwT]

BUT.... what is sugar and FGMO if they are not chemicals?  Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine.  I see so many people that claim to be chemical free and yet put all kinds of stuff, like sugar,  that is highly processed with chemicals that are probably much worse than things like oxalic acid.

pure cane sugar has no man made chemicals in it, but sugar itself is a chemical just like us and the bee's are made of chemicals if you look at it thats way, nectar the bee's get from plants are chemicals, you can get a lab to test it , so when talking chemicals I think the line should be drawn at man made, that would be what I call chemicals....

here's a sugar refining site with the info.. sugar is man made but its from a plant where nothing is added so people can look at it in different ways.....

http://www.amscl.org/SugarIndustry.pdf

 

[Robo]

so when talking chemicals I think the line should be drawn at man made, that would be what I call chemicals....

So you don't consider oxalic or formic acid  as chemicals since they are not man made.  I'm sure other would disagree...


See my point about using the term chemical

[Understudy]

All sorts of chemicals accor in nature. Everything has a chemical make up.

I understand Robo's point on putting chemicals in the hive. And I am to a certain extent splitting hairs. I do not believe a SHB trap in or on a hive used properly adds any chemicals to the hive. The powdered sugar he brought up a very good point on. It can have chemicals added to it. Mine for an anti caking agent has corn startch.

TwT is also correct everything has a chemical makeup even honey.

The idea behind organic as I understand it is that you are not adding anything to your hives to treat your bees. Also you bees are not coming in contact with any type of fertilizer or pesticide on the flowers they gather from.

I don't think feeding your bees sugar water would make them less organic.

I do think adding oxcylic acid would make them less organic because even though it occurs in nature you have to go through quite a process to get it. I also don't know if in that level of purity that it doesn't leave anything behind. I also don't know if it harmful to the bees or leaves any residue behind. Like I said earlier I am poor and lazy. I am also not an expert on organic. But the discussion is enlightning.

The powdered sugar treatment could be a split hair issue. Depending on where the powdered sugar came from. I have to be honest I don't buy it my wife did. I didn't even think about it until Robo's post. I personally doubt that powdered sugar leaves behind much long term residue or imbeds itself in the wax. However it is relatively cheap and avaliable at the local grocery stores. Thus the poor and lazy part of my beekeeping.

Since my wife is a bit of tree hugger. She tends to by things that are listed as chemical free or organic. So I am pretty comfortable when she buys powdered sugar. Even though I looked at the label for the first time today.

I mean we could split hairs in many ways. I use permacomb. It's plastic fully drawn comb. Others use plastic foundation. It isn't natural but I don't think it adds anything to the honey or wax.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[TwT]

So you don't consider oxalic or formic acid  as chemicals since they are not man made.  I'm sure other would disagree...


See my point about using the term chemical

sure they are chemicals, and the reason people would be putting in hives would be treating the hive for mites (no other reason to do so), sugar is feeding, some could classify the reason using anything on hives??? dont know, we all treat hives but not all of treat for pest , there I feel better now 

[Brian D. Bray]

Personally, I dislike the term organic as it can be such different conotations even with PH.D type qualifications. 
I prefer the term natural beekeeping. 
That's the way I try to keep my bees, feeding as little as possilbe and using sugar shakes to varroa control.  As of yet, since getting my packages in May, I have not found any evidence of varroa.  And other than feeding sugar syrup and applying an occasional sugar shake (if needed) I will do nothing to save a hive.  I will feed, as I had to this year, because of a severe nectar dearth as I considered feeding in that senerio  a rational alternative rather than let bees that are otherwise exhibiting hygenic and survivor traits die needlessly.

I use foundationless frames so as not to introduce chemical contamination into my hives, it it gets there it is from outside sources and at a much lower concentration than if I used foundation and used various "chemical" treatments.

[Kirk-o]

I just like honey from bees that haven't been treated.I do small cell so I don't have to treat I also have a hive four years that is large cell I haven't treated It is doing good also.
kirko