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I think I just got lucky at the time Chris - got my bees from an old boy who was wanting to reduce his numbers. I also got a long lesson which I didn't really understand including stuff about the Miller method which was about a mile above my head! So much so it was dark when I got my bees home...

I agree Pargyle - £375 is at the extreme end of the price range! Not one I'd be comfortable charging. Full colony in a good condition hive plus a couple of supers? Then we'd maybe be up at the £350+ mark. Even then only just as I think I'm right in saying you can get a new cedar National...

There's always the thought that if people have to pay for their bees they take their care a bit more seriously than if they get them for free. I have no qualms about charging for a couple of nucs I've overwintered. I think for a 5 frame nuc £150 is not an outrageous sum.

I think a clear distinction should be made between vegetarians and vegans. The first don't eat meat. The second don't eat meat or have anything to do with animal based products. If veggies want to take a stance against factory farming and not eat meat as a consequence I can see their point...

And thankfully they weren't onanists as well as janists!

This page has been the best of the thread so far - totally hilarious! And yeah +1 for Dishmop's rant - you go girl!

And why the arbitrary dividing line? Why just exceptionally bad years? Sugar is sugar is sugar - I'm sure the bees don't associate with the morals of giving it or not.

:banghead: Again with the emotive language Heidi. "Mutilation" - not a loaded term at all is it?! PS - please note the mutilated queen in my avatar who lived a long and fruitful life despite her disability! And I hate to break it to you but most beekeepers harvest a surplus. What else would...

I think that response she gave me Susbees says it all.

If you maybe stopped to ask Heidi you'd find that's what nearly every ordinary beekeeper does. You assume we're exploiting our bees and taking every drop of honey from them but you don't think to ask if that's the case. I for one didn't "get it" as you so sarcastically put it. I've never done...

Maybe at my age I should have learned not to try to enter into a discussion with a zealot. A more pointless exercise could not be conceived. Despite being (horror of horrors) an ordinary beekeeper using (god forbid) National hives I have an open mind about most things. I like to think of...

Pathetic. I'm never less than calm pal.

Hmm....a compassionate nature and yet you resort to the describing me as "the likes of you". Doesn't really fit with your self-image does it? Maybe if you did less talking to your bees and more caring for them....

It seems to me that, when pressed, the last resort of the fanatic is to indulge in the use of emotive language to belittle their opponents. You use the term "rubbish". Yet you're happy to use the said "rubbish" when it suits you. That's the very definition of a double standard. And I don't...

Keeping bees in whatever container you happen to use and by whatever method isn't natural - whether they originate from swarms (which of course nowadays are 99% from other people's bees) or not. Trying to say that this or that is natural or isn't seems rather pointless but then we have 9 pages...

I'll try asking another question as you didn't bother answering my last one Heidi. Let me get it straight. You think the practice of beekeepers who take full supers off of their hives and give the bees an Autumn feed is shameful? Seriously? If that's what you do think then you're maybe right...

Just out of curiosity Heidi I'd be interested to hear what your advice would be to the likes of Murray on how to apply your methods to his business running 2,000 plus hives or any of the other commercial beekeepers. Would you be of the opinion that they could make a living using your...

You're misquoting me now. I never said vegetarianism is a western indulgence. I said that veganism is. And no I'm not touchy - just resent being talked down to. . And your solution to this is grain production? I disagree but this is becoming rather pointless as we clearly have very...

Oh god here we go again!

Thanks for the not at all patronising suggestion that I re-read your post. I read it fine the first time. I live in rural Speyside ( I breed alpacas for a living) and the green desert pasture you describe just doesn't exist here. Most farmers here grow barley or oats and keep cattle and...