Chemical clubs are used against the Varroa mite. This means that things get into the honey that we don't want to smear on our bread. In the organic sector there are clear restrictions and limits. Anyone interested in the challenges associated with bees should watch the documentary "More than Honey". This will raise your awareness of the dangers current beekeeping poses to people.
Nevertheless, we don’t want to throw stones. Beekeepers have to earn a living from this activity. Unfortunately, it once again raises the same conflicts as for other agricultural activities - conventional vs. organic practices and animal welfare standards.
Den erhobenen Zeigefinger möchten wir dennoch schnell verschwinden lassen. Imker müssen mit dieser Tätigkeit Ihren Lebensunterhalt verdienen. Hier gibt es leider die gleichen Konflikte, zwischen konventioneller und biologischer Haltung sowie beim Tierwohl und wie bei allen anderen Bereichen der Landwirtschaft.
In conclusion, we decided to keep bees ourselves. In a way that respects nature and the species. Since our main focus is on pollination, we decided on single-room hives. These complement our values and objectives and are also less labor-intensive. Most of the work is left to the bees. In return, they are allowed to keep most of the honey. We make use of the surplus, after all, bees are busy.