In order to explain treatment-free beekeeping in a manner that is productive, it is first necessary to understand that there are many definitions of what exactly “treatment-free” means. In this article, I bring to light various opinions that exist and put forth a definition that attempts to clarify the topic of treatment-free beekeeping for the purpose of providing a baseline from which others can follow. As I will explain more in depth later in this article, the main methodology behind treatment-free beekeeping is to let bees be bees as much as possible and to interfere as little as possible for the purpose of producing stronger, more resilient, and pest-resistant bees over time.
Many beekeepers assert that simply not putting chemicals in their hive is a good practice, while others argue that “treatment-free” must have a more strict definition. Along the lines of this latter assertion, anything introduced by the beekeeper into the hive with the intent of inhibiting, repelling or killing pests or disease afflicting the bees should be considered a treatment. And, anything done for the purpose of “helping” the bees to survive when they ought to be surviving on their own is only counterproductive to raising strong, healthy bees.
Contention exists among beekeepers of all experience levels and types. Some commercial honey producers would laugh at the thought of not giving their bees a seasonal dose of antibiotics or other chemical treatment(s), while some backyard beekeepers insist that introducing treatments in the first place actually causes dependency upon these very treatments, making the bees weaker and the pests or disease strong over time. The range of opinions that exist is vast, thus, it is imperative to clearly define “treatment-free” and always be aware of which definition is being discussed at any given time.
As an example, because it is such a contentious topic, in the Treatment-Free Beekeepers discussion group that I help moderate on Facebook, guidelines had to be created in order to help the group’s members avoid heated arguments, so that more effort could be made upon the promotion of treatment-free beekeeping rather than spending time on defending an individual’s own opinions that can lead to futile arguments.
Because the philosophy behind the treatment-free beekeeping approach is that treating bees for diseases actually prevents the bees from developing genetic or behavioral adaptations needed to cope on their own, treatment-free beekeepers choose to allow disease to run its course in a hive. As a result, the weaker colonies die out and stronger, well-adapted colonies survive. Ultimately, pests and issues would cease to be a problem and colonies, both managed and feral, become disease tolerant.
One well-known treatment-free beekeeper, Solomon Parker, states on his website:
“This is not just about protecting my family and myself from harsh chemicals… This is really about returning the bees to a more natural state, one in which they are solely responsible for surviving… I affect them in a way that gives them a home in which to live, I direct certain traits by removing certain members of the population… I harvest some of the honey that they produce. But surviving is wholly their job.”
Personally, I tend to agree with the more strict definition of “treatment-free” because it takes away some of the confusion surrounding the term and because it matches my own beekeeping philosophy. According to Mr Parker, practicing treatment-free is much more than just giving up chemicals. It is not a matter of only using treatments that are seen as “natural” or “organic”. It’s a matter of keeping bees with as little treatment as is humanly possible in order to allow the bees to be bees, even if that means letting them die.
In my own hives, if I had pick a treatment because I just couldn’t face the facts that my bees might die, I would certainly consider giving them something like a Direct Fed Microbial (DFM) supplement as a last resort. Which brings up a topic of contention: “Is feeding bees considered a treatment?” Feeding bees could be considered a “treatment against starvation.” In the case where colonies are poorly adapted to their local conditions, for example if the bees were artificially migrated from Southern California to Northern Wisconsin, the bees might build up too early in Spring, try to raise huge amounts of brood through a ferocious Summer dearth, or not pack away enough stores for Winter. Sometimes, through no fault of their own, colonies can end up short of food. For example, if the beekeeper makes a lot of summer splits while there is no nectar flow, it might be appropriate to feed the splits.
In general though, according to a strict definition of treatment-free beekeeping, it would be best to avoid feeding bees where possible. But, it is sometimes necessary and desirable to do so if the bees are to survive. A beekeeper can take steps to reduce the need for feeding, such as making splits during a nectar flow and leaving adequate winter stores on the hives. Ultimately, the goal should be to keep bees that feed themselves and require no intervention from humans to survive and reproduce.
The “treatment-free” debate never ends. As I heard a treatment-free beekeeper put it recently, the range of opinions seen in treatment-free beekeeping can be compared to the range seen in debates between vegetarians. There’s the lacto-ovo-vegetarians who eat both dairy products and eggs, the lacto-vegetarians who eat dairy products but avoid eggs, ovo-vegetarians who eat eggs but not dairy products and the vegans who do not eat dairy products, eggs, or any other products derived from animals. For example, one person might consider themselves a real vegetarian because they don’t drink milk, whereas another person might feel they are a more pure vegetarian because they don’t ever cook their food to above 107 degrees.
In the discussion of treating versus not treating bees, what matters most is that beekeepers keep an open mind and think scientifically instead of speaking from their opinions. Admittedly, while this particular article is not specifically scientific in nature, I will go further into the science of treatment-free beekeeping in future articles. One thing to keep in mind is that “treatment-free” is not the same thing as “chemical-free” and “chemical-free” isn’t the same as “organic.” Even the phrase “natural beekeeping” has its own set of loose criteria that can be argued endlessly. Sometimes we just have to agree to disagree. In the end, it is important to be aware of the treatment-free beekeeping purpose and meaning and to make a decision that suits ourselves.
13 Comments
Thank you. As a nurse, I’ve seen my share of antibiotic-resistant diseases. Caused, of course, by overuse of antibiotics. These treatments get into the wax so even if it’s applied between harvests, it remains in the hive. Building stronger bees naturally is the way to go for me. If that means letting weaker colonies die, so be it. The remaining bees become more disease resistant naturally. At a bee conference (I won’t say which) . One “expert” (I won’t say who) said that it was “those ignorant people who don’t treat their hives that are causing the problem.” Sadly, people still believe that.
Oh I hear you! I think I was at that very conference…
I am a nurse as well and I bring the same philosophy into beekeeping as you. I too have seen what antibiotic resistance can do to humans-unfortunate stories of suffering. I chose to use essential oils so I do not know where that falls in the definition of “treatment-free.” I also have been told that I am part of the “problem” by another local beekeeper who just returned from our state beekeepers meeting (sponsored by the bee pharmaceutical industry!).
I feel the same way. Our local club touts the same philosophy, that if you don’t treat, you are part of the problem. Hence, we rarely go and so don’t ever feel welcome to share our views and philosophy. It’s a pretty isolating feeling.
Treatment free, whatever it means to you, is usually the best approach. But, “natural” is full of unintended consequences. Honey bees may naturally develop a resistance to varroa mites and/or the diseases they appear to be vectors for; in which case score one point for natural beekeeping. Or they may not and varroa mites, and the diseases they carry, continue to weaken the viability of colonies to the point of honey bee extinction. In which case we can only hope to find uninfected relic honey bee populations and start over. It’s still one point for naturai beekeeping but it’s a much, much longer game.
As a beekeeper, if you don’t know your mite load (or any other factor in the health of your colonies) then you are irresponsible to you bees. If you know you have a heavy mite load and don’t don’t something that reduces the mite load then you are irresponsible to your bees and to other beekeepers.
If you insist on “natural” then choose whatever treatment approach fits your definition of “natural” but be sure you are doing it in a way that is effective. If you choose not to treat at all, then I hope your colonies die quickly and you dispose of them completely before they have a chance to spread infection. That may sound harsh, and it is, but nature has it’s own ways of being harsh.
When someone wishes people who naturally keep hives have a quick death to their colonies because they don’t treat, that’s just plain wrong. It’s man who wanted to control these insects to begin with and then when we dose them up with chemicals, we treat their forage with chemicals….it’s okay. If you think nature has it’s own way of doing things, did you ever think that because of the treatments we are doing for mites…etc., that nature is building up a natural immunity? It’s been proven time and time again on developing a natural resistance to treatments. Ultimately, it’s survival of the fittest and the traits that are survivors is what we need…not to just dope up everything and call it the healthy way of doing things.
Great article. Beekeeper’s should be divided into distinct groups based on their needs.
Hobbyist – 1-5 hives
Commercial – 5+ hives and raise bees for extra income
Super Commercial – 500+ hives
Northern – Cold climate beekeeping (Winter protocols)
Southern – Tropical and subtropical beekeeping
Each of these groups have certain unique issues and share some common issues specific to bees in general.
I suspect many arguments explode when a passionate hobbyist explains the world as they see it to a commercial beekeeper who live by different rules in order to survive.
Kind of like your Factory cattle farmer talking to your devout vegan. Not much good comes out of that unless several adult beverages are in arms reach.
Thank you for a simple explanation of treatment free-beekeeping. My intention is to do the same for my bees, if I can keep the “treatment-only” crowd from vilifying me!
Well put! Thank you for putting treatment-free into an understandable framework. I believe that stopping mite treatments, and making it illegal to sell package bees would go a LOOOOOONG way to helping bees survive and thrive.
What’s “natural” about beekeeping in the first place? So, you choose to not do anything to help the hive survive and somehow think you are moving the pile forward. You choose to do nothing to help the hive fight a mite load and in doing so help infect a neighbors yard and he suffers a 50% loss. My position is that you should think about raising red worms
So squishing an organic banana over the frames to stimulate a clean-out response to rid the hive of Chalkbrood would be a treatment. That’s as far as i go. (South Australia, no varroa or shb).
For those of us who think treatment free beekeeping is a great disservice to the entire beekeeping community, I suggest researching Ron Hoskins of Swindon, England and the virology findings of his bees or the USDA ARS Russian Honey Bee Project.
Interesting thoughts. I’ve an interest about honeybees and am not an apiarist. As a veterinarian I am pro vaccination for public health. Could you direct me to information about disease and parasite control with natural methods, or the “old fashioned” way? Too, did any of you know the Aebi’s and how they managed their hives? Thank you. Email reply welcomed.
Sincerely,
Jack from Pennsylvania
jsmvmd@aol.com