If you’re concerned about the possibility of pesticide residues in the beeswax you use (and you should be!), certified organic beeswax can provide a margin of comfort.
There are many sources of ‘organic’ beeswax. And I’m sure that most retailers that sell ‘organic’ beeswax are selling a product that was produced conscientiously and with the greatest of care.
But you should know that there’s a difference between ‘certified organic’ and just ‘organic’ – at least legally.
To label a product as certified organic a producer must conform to the rules of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic Certification Program.
There Are Tough Standards for Obtaining Certification
A product that is certified organic has met some pretty tough standards.
That’s true of any agricultural product, but it’s especially true for beekeepers.
Think about it.
Tough though it may be for meeting the standards for certifying a vegatable farm, for example, it’s even tougher for a beekeeper.
That’s because the vegatable farm stays in one place, but the bees range for miles while foraging for pollen and nectar.
Difficult For Beekeepers
So the beekeeper not only has to conform to certification standards at the location of the apiary, he or she also must keep the apiary in a location where the bees will not come into contact with any disapproved substances.
And that’s pretty tough to do these days.
That means that the bees must be kept miles away from golf courses, residential yards, non-organic farming areas – even places like landfills.
It takes real dedication and lots of extra work for a beekeeper to obtain and maintain organic certification.
So if you want the extra peace of mind of buying certified organic beeswax, I don’t blame you at all. But be aware that it’s going to cost you.
The products here are an example. Click on it and you’ll see that it’s considerably more expensive than non-certified.
But be assured: the beekeeper earned every extra penny he or she is getting!
