Did you know most honey is produced in hives that that are directly treated with chemicals and medicines to keep them viable? Most commercial and even “local honey” comes from hives treated with many of the following:
- Antibiotics (Tylan, Fumagilin-B, Terramycin, etc.)
- Formic acid (Mite-Away II)
- Coumaphos (CheckMite+)
- Oxalic acid
- PVC Resin & Fluvalinate (Apistan Strips)
- AVACHEM Sucrose octanoate [40.0%] (Sucrocide)
- Thymol (Apiguard, Api Life Var)
- Para-Dichlorobenzene (Para-Moth)
Google any of these chemicals and MSDS (material safety data sheet) and you will probably avoid commercial honey for life!
Whitfield Apiaries seeks to understand how the bees operate biologically and then integrate management methods that cooperate, as much as possible, with the bees biology. We employ a number of bio-technical pest control strategies to keep our bee hives healthy without the use of chemicals and antibiotics.
One practice is the return to small cell comb in the brood chambers. Like a number of aspects relating to American Agriculture, it turns out that bigger is not always better and natural (smaller) size cells and bees are making a comeback with those who want chemical and antibiotic free hives. The benefits include brood cells that are capped and later uncapped 2 to 3 days faster than traditional sized cells and more importantly, disruption of the Varroa mite’s reproduction cycle. This means less Varroa get into the brood cells, and less Varroa reproduce. Many natural beekeepers see this as a valuable strategy in the fight for their bees’ health. Unfortunately, this strategy has a very small following because it requires significant investment in beekeeping equipment and bee stock to make the switch. Once on the chemical and antibiotic treadmill, it is hard to get off without major losses in an apiaries’ bee population and honey production. Return to small cell comb, good bee genetics, systematic comb removal, screened bottom boards, Housel positioning, unlimited brood nests and the result is healthy and sustainable bee hives that produce optimum conditions for bees and results in the most healthy honey available.
Whitfield Apiary’s investment in this bio-technical approach will ensure that we avoid chemical treatments for the hives while keeping them healthy. We think this is the key to pure and natural honey for your family and ours for years to come.
Natural honey in decorative jars.
If there is something about our honey or natural beekeeping that you want to know more about, just let me know and I will try to write about it. Thanks for visiting! 
Hi, does organic honey mean that no pesticides and antibiotics were used?
Not using pesticides and antibiotics are organic practices. Thanks for the comment!
Hi there! Just wanted you to know you’re not alone. I’m a treatment free, natural sized beekeeper living in the Indiana Dunes. So nice to see likeminded folk not too far away in Michigan. I rest easy every night knowing I’m a beekeeper, not a honey producer…and part of the solution, not the problem. I’m sure you feel the same. Many blessings, Jenifer
We also not using chemical and akccept natural beekeeping.
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Thanks for your comments Deann.
Great article. Started keeping bees in 2011 and lost 4 hives until I ordered a package of small cell bees and put them on small cell foundation and absolutely no chemicals. Only use sugar water to get bees started, then they have to do what they are supposed to do. I want my customers to get nectar honey, not sugar honey. I’m the only one in our beekeeping club that have small cell bees and probably chemical free. We are having a pest management problem in our club in the future, would you mind if I use this article in our program.?
Certainly Ken, thanks for your note.