> You are right about questioning this logic. Also, how do they > *control* the drifting of bees from in-organic hives or the airborne > pollution from industrial sources? Grant it, remote and isolated > areas will minimize both but will not eliminate them. Both travel > long distances. There is no end to the list of demands if organic is defined maximally close to natural state and allowed 0 % potential for any residues. The line has to be drawn into somewhere. The organic customers don't normally know where the line exactly is but trust that the line made by experts makes product better. No or less residues, sustainability and animal welfare. Careful robbing of selected wild hives without bee clothes and metal/ plastic tools or buckets in remote parts of Africa could fill almost all demands. But this kind of demands are not practical. I strongly recommend beekeepers to try getting into the meetings where local demands are made. Beekeepers need to be there to see that the rules come out in such way that it is possible to produce honey accconding to them. I think that all countires should be able to produce organic honey for their own consumers. Ari Seppälä Finland ****************************************************** * Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm * ******************************************************