Apiculture Douce® (Gentle Beekeeping) "A revolutionary approach to beekeeping for enlightened beings. Rebuilding a world favorable to bees without cruelty, where everything is done in harmony with nature." What is it?| Our commitments| FAQ A holistic beekeeping method, unique in the world The result of 30 years of research and innovation, Apiculture Douce® is a biodynamic beekeeping method created and patented by Catherine Flurin and Ballot-Flurin in the 1980s. It rests on a deep conviction: everything is connected. To preserve our own health, we must also preserve the health of bees, of our environment, and of the beekeeping community around us. Apiculture Douce® is not just a method — it's a way of seeing the world. Recognized at international congresses and conferences, it goes far beyond official organic labels by introducing requirements never seen before: the psychological wellbeing of bees, local fair-trade practices, and passing on the language of bees to every partner beekeeper. Apiculture Douce® treats bees as true partners, endowed with a collective intelligence, a language, and rights. Failing to respect them means depriving ourselves of the most alive, most effective preparations. Three inseparable pillars Apiculture Douce® rests on three fundamental pillars that we consider inseparable. To touch one is to alter the other two. 01. The bees Understanding of their psychology, the language of bees, careful choice of locations and harvest dates, no artificial feeding, free coming and going. We harvest only their surplus, respecting their natural rhythms. 02. The environment No chemical products. Planting of trees and melliferous plants. Creation of ultra-natural environmental sanctuaries. A locavore harvesting area limited to 800 km around our manufacturing eco-site. 03. The people Sustaining local beekeeping through fair-trade networks. More than 80 partner beekeepers paid above market rates. Artisanal processing that preserves the vitality of the preparations. The 7 concrete commitments of Apiculture DOUCE® 01. No brutality We encourage all our beekeepers to stop violent practices such as clipping queens' wings or eliminating them. Unproductive queens are not destroyed — they are placed in "retirement" apiaries to live out a happy end of life. A practice that stands in direct opposition to industrial beekeeping. 02. Asking the bees' permission before harvesting Only the surplus is harvested, taking care to leave enough reserves to get through winter. In times of scarcity, we give the bees a nourishing syrup made from honey and bio-dynamized plants — never industrial sugar. Free-choice devices allow pollen and honey to be harvested without disturbing the foraging bees. 03. Beekeeping without violence or stress If bees sting, it's because they don't agree. Approaching the apiary without a smoker and without a beekeeping suit is a new approach that Catherine Flurin practices with her team. Apiculture Douce® encourages a direct relationship with the bee, built on listening and mutual trust. 04. Understanding and teaching the language of bees Our gentle beekeepers are trained in bee psychology and practice relaxation and meditation techniques to develop a keen sensitivity to hive behavior. The bee people have existed for 120 million years and possess a genuine collective intelligence — we have much to learn from them. 05. Developing the bees' territory Creation of ultra-natural environmental sanctuaries for colonies to thrive in. Preservation and planting of melliferous plants: heather, lavender, rosemary, sage, hawthorn, marjoram, field maple, hazel, wild cherry, broad bean, vetch, buckwheat... A living habitat, not merely a production space. 06. Respecting the right to natural reproduction The queen's wellbeing and her natural reproductive capacities are given priority. We forbid ourselves any practice that goes against the laws of nature: no artificial insemination, no cloning of queens to maximize production. The queen chooses. 07. Deeply listening to the wisdom of bees The ultimate goal of Apiculture Douce®: to rebuild a world favorable to bees and humans alike, founded on reciprocity rather than exploitation. Bees that are loved, free and respected — unique in the world. Because a happy hive produces the most alive, most effective preparations. Why Apiculture Douce® changes everything for quality Less-stressed bees → richer propolis Stressed bees devote their energy to survival rather than to gathering resins. Serene colonies produce propolis with a broader, more complex spectrum of flavonoids. Our analyses confirm this batch after batch. A living Pyrenean terroir → unique botanical biodiversity The altitude, the floral diversity of the Hautes-Pyrénées, and the absence of monocultures give the bees an unmatched botanical palette. This richness is found directly in the composition of our honey, our pollen, and our propolis. Gentle, artisanal methods → living preparations No freezing, no centrifugation, no excessive heating. Manual filtering, long macerations, gentle stirring. Every step is designed to preserve the natural vitality of the ingredients, just as the bees offer them to us. Harvesting only the surplus → a hive that lasts By taking only what the bees don't need, we guarantee the long-term survival of the colonies and the consistency of the seasons. It's a long-term logic, the opposite of intensive farming that depletes its own resources. A fair, locavore, and traceable supply chain 80+ partner beekeepers committed to the Apiculture Douce® specifications 800 km maximum sourcing radius around our manufacturing eco-site 30 years of research, innovation, and patents in biodynamic beekeeping At Ballot-Flurin, being locavore is a deep conviction: we refuse to have our beekeeping raw materials travel thousands of kilometers. We do not import bee products from other countries to take advantage of lower labor costs or looser regulations. The choice of harvesting location is based on the quality of the bee products — not on production cost. One deliberate exception: our thyme honey comes from Crete, where Hypocratus thyme thrives in an exceptional terroir. There, we work with gentle beekeepers selected for their commitment to respectful methods — an extension of our philosophy, not a contradiction of it. Frequently asked questions What exactly is Apiculture Douce®? Apiculture Douce® is a holistic, biodynamic beekeeping method patented by Catherine Flurin and Ballot-Flurin. It rests on three inseparable pillars: the wellbeing of bees (understanding of their psychology, harvesting only the surplus), protection of the environment (no chemical products, natural sanctuaries), and a local fair-trade network with more than 80 partner beekeepers paid a fair price. How is Apiculture Douce® different from conventional organic beekeeping? The organic label guarantees the absence of pesticides and chemical products — a necessary but insufficient baseline. Apiculture Douce® goes much further by introducing requirements absent from any official organic specification: the psychological wellbeing of bees, a ban on any violence toward queens, the practice of the language of bees, and fair trade with beekeepers paid above market rates. It's a holistic method, not just a label. What does "the language of bees" mean at Ballot-Flurin? The language of bees is at the heart of Apiculture Douce®. It refers to the full set of listening, relaxation, and colony-behavior-understanding techniques that our partner beekeepers learn and practice. The goal is to develop a relationship of reciprocity with the bees: understanding them in order to better respect them, and harvesting their resources only when they allow it. The bee people have existed for 120 million years and have developed a remarkable collective intelligence — we have much to learn. Why does Apiculture Douce® improve the quality of the preparations? Stressed bees devote their energy to survival rather than to producing rich resins. Serene colonies, living in a diverse terroir and freely gathering their food, produce propolis, pollen, and royal jelly that are more complex and richer in active compounds. On top of this, our artisanal manufacturing methods — no freezing, no centrifugation, long macerations — preserve the natural vitality of the preparations. How many beekeepers work with Ballot-Flurin under this method? More than 80 partner beekeepers have signed the Apiculture Douce® specifications and undergo regular training in its techniques. Their apiaries are located within an 800 km harvesting area around our manufacturing eco-site in the Hautes-Pyrénées, ensuring locavore traceability. These beekeepers benefit from prices above market rates — a fair-trade network, not just a set of specifications. Apitherapy experts and gentle beekeepers Handcrafted, organic preparations made in the Hautes-Pyrénées A family-owned, independent company since 1977