BREED

• Bee colonies may be converted to organic production. Introduced bees shall come from organic production units where available.
• Bee products may be sold as organically produced when the requirements of these standards have been complied with for at least one year.
• Hives must be constructed from natural materials.  Food grade plastic may be used forfoundations only.
• Hives may be painted with vegetable oil and paraffin or beeswax mixture, or naturally compounded paints subject to NASAA approval.  Acrylic paint may only be applied tothe exterior of the hive.

HEALTH AND MEDICAL

• The health and welfare of the hive shall be primarily achieved by hygiene and hive management.
• Antibiotics must not be used.  Veterinary medicine must not be used in bee keeping.
• Colonies with notifiable diseases must be destroyed and all hive material heat-treated inan approved manner that destroys infectious material.  Flywire and herbal repellentssubject to approval may be used for protection of combs.
• The use of paradichlorobenzene or phostoxin for protection of combs is not permitted.
• The feeding of a colony is only permitted under exceptional circumstances to overcometemporary food shortages due to climatic conditions. Only certified organic honey ororganic sugar syrup may be used in this instance.  
• Smoking of bees must be kept to a minimum.  Smoker fuel shall only consist of naturalmaterials, eg. Hay, clean wood
• The destruction of bees in the combs as a method of harvesting of bee products isprohibited.
• In choice of race, account must be taken of their suitability for local conditions, theirvitality and resistance to disease.

Permitted hive disinfection and pest/disease control:

• Flame and steam sterilization
• caustic soda
• lactic acid
• acetic acid
• oxalic acid
• formic acid
• sulphur
• etheric oils
• bacillus thuringiensis