December Editorial
Eugene,
I just finished reading the Editorial. I’m an older man (age 68) and have been a beekeeper since 1980, and for me, beekeeping is a continuous learning process. I am also formerly president of the Essex County Beekeepers Society (New Jersey) twice over, and I well know the experience of leading a volunteer organization. Education and learning were always my focus in addressing the club and the public. I am from a generation which grew up in a world where everything was analog, the digital world is still something which challenges me, even reading the journal on-line instead of via the print edition. And I, too have heard many stories of Internet misinformation from those who use items like Facebook (I don’t) and YouTube and the like and heard plenty about or directly from the Two-Year Beekeeping Experts. And I also believe that being a beekeeper for a long time does not automatically make one an expert.
I found your editorial right on the mark. I live in New York now, but am recently an ex-New Jersey resident, where “processing” honey for commercial sale requires a Food Grade Kitchen, with a Health Inspection Certificate. I agree that we need to be careful about how we address the issue of the honey which is on the shelves of the store as well as that which we sell from our homes or roadside stands, etc. As for me, I am one who takes issue with the term “Organic,” which appears on the honey labels. I personally don’t believe that one can honestly make that claim for honey produced here in the USA, considering the amount of chemicals which are being spread throughout our environment. Some might disagree with me.
Keep up the good work.
Joseph Treimel
Pleasant Valley, New York
Best of Show
Hello Eugene,
Attached is a photo of my artwork that won Best of Show at the 2019 Honey Convention in Tennessee. It is titled The Next Generation II and it is about the future of beekeeping. It shows a child’s beekeeping suit hanging next to an adult suit. There are hives in the background and a …