Cover the whole chain from purchasing of animals, feed and wax to the finished product.

BREEDING

• Parallel production is not allowed.
• Bee colonies and queens can only be purchased from KRAV-certified producers. If no KRAV-certified bee colonies or queens are available, a maximum of 10 % conventional bee colonies and queens can be purchased per year.
• When choosing breeds, must take into consideration whether or not the bees can adapt to local conditions and their resilience and resistance they have against disease.
• Genetically modified organisms are prohibited.

 PEST CONTROL

Prevention of disease should be based on:

• Choice of suitable hardy breeds
• Measures that promote resistance to disease, prevent infection and contribute to early detection of disease
• Spores from Bacillus thuringiensis can be used to prevent wax moth in supplies of collector boxes
• Oil, diesel fuel and other petroleum products cannot be used to prevent attack by ants or for any other type of pest control
• Paste adhesives and similar substances can be used to provide a physical hinder for insects
• It is prohibited to use construction material that can contain toxic substances
• Natural materials such as wax, propolis and vegetable oils to be used inside the hive
• It is prohibited to use chemical pest control near beehives.

• Non-agricultural beekeeping operations may produce and market apiary products under the Bud label. They conclude a licence contract with Bio Suisse to this end.
• Apiarists who are responsible for a non-organic farming operation cannot be approved for beekeeping under the Bud label.
• An apiary on a Bud holding may be non-organic if it is rented out to a third person who has no responsibility for a Bud farm.
• Bio Suisse may define certain areas or regions from which products must not be marketed under the Bud label.
• A Bud farm may keep its bees in accordance with the minimum requirements set out in the Instructions if the products are not labeled with the Bud label.

BREEDING

• Hives should be made of natural materials that present no risk of contamination to the environment and bee products.
• The ability of bees to adapt to local conditions, their vitality and resistance to diseases should be taken into account.
• Bees should be kept healthy through preventive measures, selection of appropriate breeds, favorable environment, balanced diet and appropriate husbandry practices.
• Hives shall be placed in fields certified as organic and/or wild areas that have not been treated with substances prohibited in organic production.
• The operator shall not site hives within foraging distances of sources of high-risk contamination and pollution, e.g. nonorganic agricultural
• At the end of the production season, hives shall be left with enough honey and pollen reserves for the colonies to survive the dormancy period. Any supplementary feeding may be allowed only between the last honey harvest and the start of the next nectar or honeydew flow period. In such cases organic honey or sugar shall be used. (When organic sugar is not available, exceptions may be made for a specified time limit.)
• Hives shall be made basically of natural materials. Use of materials that are potentially toxic or present risk of contaminating the environment and bee products is prohibited.
• Bee boxes shall be painted with only lead-free paints. Plastic foundation, if made with wooden frames and coated with organic beeswax, is permitted.
• Conversion existing bee colonies may be converted to organic production. Introduced bees shall come from organic production units when available.

Where preventive measures fail, and colonies become sick or infested, they shall be treated immediately. Treatments shall respect the following principles: 

• Preference should be given to the use of herbal medicinal products or alternative treatments provided that their therapeutic effect is effective for the condition for which the treatment is intended.
• If necessary, allopathic chemically synthesized medicinal products (e.g. antibiotics) may be used under the responsibility of a veterinarian. In such cases the bee products shall not be sold as organic. The use of allopathic synthesized products for preventive treatments is prohibited.
• All treatments with veterinary medicinal products shall be clearly recorded in details, i.e. the type of product, (including the indication of the active substances), the diagnosis, doses, the method of administration, the duration of treatment and the withdrawal period.
• Treated hives shall be placed in isolation and go through a one-year conversion period.

FEED

• Colonies may be fed with organic feed only to compensate for temporary forage shortages due to weather conditions or other exceptional circumstances.
• The sources of forage should be essentially organically produced plants or naturally occurring vegetation.

PEST CONTROL

Permitted disease and pest control:

• Lactic, formic acid
• Oxalic, acetic acid
• Sulfur
• Natural essential oils, e.g. menthol
• Eucalyptol, camphor
• Bacillus thuringiensis
• Steam, direct flame and caustic soda for hive disinfection.

HANDLING & PROCESSING

• Bee products shall be sold as organic when beekeeping has been managed in accordance with this standard for at least one year.
• Destruction of bees in the combs as a method to harvest honey or other bee products is prohibited.
• Extraction of honey from combs that contain brood is prohibited. 
• Chemical synthetic bee repellents shall not be used during honey extraction operations. 

The operator shall not:

• Adulterate honey with water
• Use fine mesh filters or diatomaceous earth to separate seed crystals from honey
• Use high pressure filtration systems
• Heat or handle bee products using kerosene heaters or any heating systems which produce petroleum vapors in the room.
• Control stray bees or other insects using synthetic insecticides, repellants or fumigants.

All steps of extraction, processing and storage of honey or other bee products shall be handled with care and documented.

BREED

• In the choice of breeds, account must be taken of the capacity of animals to adapt to local conditions, their vitality and their resistance to disease.
• Bees must be raised as organic from the second day of life.
• Bees are required to have 100% organic forage that is organic.This forage may include wild crop areas where plants are not maintained under cultivation or other agricultural management.
  Bees are not to be fed or treated with any prohibited substances

HEALTH AND MEDICAL CARE

Disease prevention in beekeeping shall be based on the following principles:

• The selection of appropriate hardy breeds
• The application of certain practices encouraging strong resistance to disease and the prevention of infections, such as: regular renewal of queen bees, systematic inspection of hives to detect any health anomalies, control of male brood in the hives, disinfecting of materials and equipment at regular intervals, destruction of contaminated material or sources, regular renewal of beeswax and sufficient reserves of pollen and honey in hives.
• Use of allopathic chemically synthesised medicinal products is prohibited.
• The destruction of bees in the combs as a method associated with the harvesting of beekeeping products is prohibited.
• Mutilation such as clipping the wings of queen bees is prohibited.
• The replacement of the queen bees involving the killing of the old queen is permitted.
• The practice of destroying the male brood is permitted only to contain the infestation with Varroajacobsoni.
• Use of chemical synthetic repellents is prohibited during honey extraction operations.
• Use of combs, which contain brood, is prohibited for honey extraction.
• Physical treatments such as stream or direct flame is permitted.
• Prohibited substances include varroa treatments: formic acid.

For pest and disease control and for hive disinfection the following products may be allowed:

• Caustic soda   
• Lactic, oxalic, acetic acid   
• Formic acid   
• Sulphur   
• Etheric oils   
• Bacillus thuringiensis   

All hive sites must meet the following requirements:

• Must be sited in organically managed fields and/or wild natural areas.  
• Should be sited in areas that ensure access to source of honeydew, nectar and pollen that meet organic crop production requirements.
• Must not be within 3km of the following land uses; intensive cropping, intensive conventional horticulture, industrial or urban sites that may provide a source of contamination.
• Hives must be made of natural materials presenting no risk of contamination to the environment or to apicultural products.

Preservation of woodenware

• Paraffin wax dipping is permitted for the preservation of hive woodenware.   
• Copper naphthenate or any other material not allowed under the BioGro Standards must not be applied as a timber preservative on new or existing woodenware.

HEALTH AND WELFARE

• Hives must be primarily achieved by good hygiene and hive management practices. Where preventative measures fail and pest and disease problems require treatment then preference must be given to using phytotherapeutic and homeopathic treatments.
• The practice of destroying the male brood is also permitted.
• Smoker fuel used must only be natural materials, such as jute or pine needles, and must only have contact with materials allowed under the standard.
• Sacks that have contained treated seed must not be used. The use of smoke must be kept to a minimum.   
• Certified sugar must be used.
• The extraction of honey from brood chambers where sugar feeding has been used is prohibited.
• Wing clipping is prohibited. 

Permitted substances for control of Varroa destructor mite:

• formic acid
• lactic acid
• acetic acid
• oxalic acid
• menthol
• thymol
• eucalyptol
• camphor