The truest saying in beekeeping is, "Ask 10 beekeepers the same question, and you will get 15 different answers."  There is much good information and advice available from beekeepers, bee clubs, internet forums, books, and magazines...probably more than any one person could absorb in a lifetime.  When Laurie (aka Ramona) and I started keeping bees six years ago, what struck us as odd was the almost universal use of chemicals in both hobbyist and commercial apiaries (bee yards).  It was very hard to find information for techniques that didn't rely on chemicals that we personally didn't want to be around, never mind that it simply could not be good for sustainable beekeeping.  Our garden does wonderfully with no chemicals, so why not our bees?

Thankfully, there are now many more resources for (a greater or lesser extent) chemical free beekeeping.  Many of the academic researchers are now working with mechanical techniques, relatively benign substances like powdered sugar, and some of the "softer" treatements with organic acids that occur naturally in the hive and in our food are being investigated (with mixed results).  The journals are starting to cover what some are doing (and pointing out the added benefits of sustainable approaches).  What's most encouraging is the "completely chemical free" approach pioneered by Ed and Dee Lusby in Arizona, which not only rejects chemicals completely, but is successful by any measure one would care to use (here's a hint...it's all based on how beekeepers _used_ to keep bees before the chemicals were synthesized or available).  Dee runs the Organic Beekeeping list on Yahoogroups, which now has over 1000 members, and is planning the first treatment free beekeeping convention in Arizona next February.  This is a huge step forward for all of us who care about the sustainability of agricultural practices, and an exciting time to be keeping bees.

Getting started keeping bees is always the hardest step...taking the plunge of buying a hive, nuc, or package means that one is committed to dealing with 30,000 or more potential stingers...a daunting leap when you don't know what to expect, how to judge if things are going well or poorly, or how to deal with the unexpected (and as a new beekeeper, one never knows what to expect, and one never knows what is normal).

It's extremely difficult to be a beginner who relies on advice and help from more experienced beekeepers, and to not accept their best advice, which almost always includes several "required" chemicals.  We have also noticed that at bee club meetings, we are finding more and more people that either don't use chemicals, or really don't want to.  It is with these two groups in mind (the new/future beekeeper that doesn't want to use chemicals, and the more experienced beekeeper that wants to get off of them), that we have started the Massachusetts Chemical Free Beekeeping Support Group.

This group is not a replacement for other forms of learning (bee school, books, clubs, internet lists, etc), we rely on all of these resources.  What we can do is help guide other beekeepers towards what seems right and sustainable to us, to resources that we find useful, and offer the best advice and guidance we know how to give to those wanting to keep bees and do not want to use chemicals.

We had a very successful introductory meeting on February 22, and our next meeting we will be building some of our equipment.  Our small group of new beekeepers ranges in age from 12 to 87!  Use the links at the bottom to find out what we recommend for equipment, bees, information, and how to join our email list for local event announcements.