On a recent trip to the fruit growing valley of the Okanagan in British
Columbia, Canada I talked to some growers and government extention people
and heard that growing organically certified fruit was bring top prices
to an industrythat had been having troubles getting good prices for their
product.  While the majority of growers are still using conventional methods
of growing their tree fruits, there apparently is a big trend towards making
the transition to organic. A couple of months ago a bee scientist was
talking to me about the potential of running colonies organically.  One
thing I have been thinking about ever since was could bees be managed
organically, and if so, what would be the ramifications of organically
certified beekeeping on the industry as a whole ?
 
Some issues that I have been puzzling about, with regards to the organic
certification of beekeeping, include the following :
 
1) Is organic beekeeping possible ?  Are there sufficient techniques to
deal with mites and diseases ?  Are these techniques cost effective ?
Can colony nutritional needs be met using organic products (would
organic syrup be necessary for fall feedings) ?
 
2) Would certification be shooting the rest of the industry in the foot ?
As consumers may be largely unaware that any pesticides or antibiotics
are used in the production of honey, would an organic product severely
taint the consumer's perception of the purity of honey.
 
3) Can other organic agricultural sectors that require pollination
services (like tree fruits) really use hives that are being managed
conventionally for pollination ? Isn't that cheating ?
 
4) Would organic beekeeping really command superior prices for hive
products ?
 
5) Is the application of pesticides to a bee colony as much an
environmental concern as broadcasting a pesticide in a field crop ?  I
think the answer to this question is no, not as much.  If the environment
is not such an issue (unless the manufactor of the pesticides is
environmentally harmful), and the direct health risks to the consumer are
not issue, then is organic certification in beekeeping unneccesary ?
 
6) Will an organic beekeeping sector be useful in developing alternative
pest and disease control strategies and tactics for the rest of the
industry ?  I've seen how the organic sector in other agricultural communities
has had a big impact as innovating new non-synthetic chemical solutions
to crop management (they generally have their hands tied with what they can
and cannot use, and I think have to necessarily be inventive to stay alive).
 
I'm hoping to generate some discussion on this topic, as I am not sure
which side of the fence i'm on on this issue.
 
Cheers,
Adony
 
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*** Adony Melathopoulos ****************
***** Center for Pest Management *******
******** Simon Fraser University *******
*********** Burnaby, British Coumbia ***
************** CANADA ******************
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'If men had wings and bore black feathers,
 few of them would be clever enough to be crows'
 
- Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, mid-1800's
 
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