BBKA ADM Propositions

[Beefriendly]

What is often forgotten is how a particular stock performs has as much to do with the skills of the beekeeper and his location as it has to do with the quality of the queen..

If you run similar sized colonies of different strains of queens in the same apiary you quickly realise that some strains perform better than others.
That is not to say Amm's couldn't be bred to be honey monsters; but as they are only being rediscovered and established in restricted areas (despite Hoppy's recent and surprising claims that only people from planet plob believe this:

Beekeepera persons from the planet Plob will agree with you ...

) they have yet to have an extensive selection for the properties that beekeepers want. To date the emphasis seems to have been to breed for purity, which given their scarcity in the UK is only to be expected.

 

[For want of a better word]

No disrespect intended for the beekeepers who come from the planet Plob... who would seem to be relatively scarce here on Earth( most of whom seem to have settled somewhere in the North East)

Nos da

 

[simoncav]

Just a small point. All legitimate propositions put forward by member Associations (including the suggestion of banning imports) have to be discussed at the BBKA's Annual Delegates meeting and voted on. The BBKA executive can also raise propositions like the proposed move to a CIO and they also have to be agreed by a majority of the delegates at the ADM.

It's up to members to lobby their local and county associations on issues that they feel should be acted on by the BBKA. If that proposition is passed then the BBKA executive has a duty to try and exercise it, but on an issue like this which would be Government led, it's not clear what the BBKA could actually due beyond publicity and lobbying. At the end of the day we are a charity with limited resources...

 

[Finman]

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Yeah, and how to get local lynxes back.
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[madasafish]

Just a small point. All legitimate propositions put forward by member Associations (including the suggestion of banning imports) have to be discussed at the BBKA's Annual Delegates meeting and voted on. The BBKA executive can also raise propositions like the proposed move to a CIO and they also have to be agreed by a majority of the delegates at the ADM.

It's up to members to lobby their local and county associations on issues that they feel should be acted on by the BBKA. If that proposition is passed then the BBKA executive has a duty to try and exercise it, but on an issue like this which would be Government led, it's not clear what the BBKA could actually due beyond publicity and lobbying. At the end of the day we are a charity with limited resources...

The BBKA could practise what they preach and refuse to publish in BBKA News advertisements from suppliers who import bees or sell imported bees.

 

[Finman]

The BBKA could practise what they preach and refuse to publish in BBKA News advertisements from suppliers who import bees or sell imported bees.

Is BBKA serving its members or members serving the heads of society.

40 years ago national Beekeeping Society denied the importing of Carniolan bees to Finland, but ministry allowed it. What was the idea to deny it? Who knows!

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[madasafish]

Is BBKA serving its members or members serving the heads of society.

40 years ago national Beekeeping Society denied the importing of Carniolan bees to Finland, but ministry allowed it. What was the idea to deny it? Who knows!

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There are AT LEAST three suppliers in the December edition of BBKA News who openly advertise imported bees.

This reminds me of the BBKA stance on neonicotinoids when it took money from manufacturers..

 

[B+.]

This reminds me of the BBKA stance on neonicotinoids when it took money from manufacturers..

When I contacted my BKA, they said they would consider it at their next committee meeting.......in January!

 

[Finman]

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Openly advertise.....! Sounds childrens' play since Ice Ace.

2-hive owners could play with native mongrels and save the Earth.

During old good times Britannia had a good army in that duty.
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[mbc]

Lets get away from this notion that hobby beekeepers in the UK can't breed quality queens. There are the usual suspects 'shouting' how their attempts at breeding has been thwarted by others!
I'm extremely happy with the quality of my stock, having recently restocked one of my apiaries with a 'highly' rated UK breeders queens- it turned out that my stock are as good if not better.
So forget all this nonsense about hobby beekeepers not being able to breed good queens- if I can do it then others can do the same.

Back in the day when I tried queens from a few reputable sources to try and freshen up my genetics (a suggestion from my SBI at the time, a beekeeper who regularly baught in cheap queens from abroad), I quickly came to the idea that they were no better (and one or two much worse) than what I already had and I was merely muddling up my stock. Since then I've stuck to my own, that's a couple of decades ago now!
At the end of the day this game's mostly about available forage and weather, good queens will still dissappoint in bad areas/seasons whereas indifferent queens will get you good crops in good areas given the weather.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

There are AT LEAST three suppliers in the December edition of BBKA News who openly advertise imported bees.

This reminds me of the BBKA stance on neonicotinoids when it took money from manufacturers..

hmmm

 

[SDM]

What is often forgotten is how a particular stock performs has as much to do with the skills of the beekeeper and his location as it has to do with the quality of the queen.
If you think that UK breeders can't produce quality queens then you need to get out a bit more.

I'm asking you in your location, so the only variable is the queen. So again. How do yours compare with the best of what's available outside the UK?

 

[Eyeman]

I'm asking you in your location, so the only variable is the queen. So again. How do yours compare with the best of what's available outside the UK?

Show me an agreed scoring system which we can use to objectively assess our stock then I would be be able to answer your question.
What I see from outside the UK breeders are they quote the usual desired characteristics for their queens without any objectivity.

 

[SDM]

Show me an agreed scoring system which we can use to objectively assess our stock then I would be be able to answer your question.
What I see from outside the UK breeders are they quote the usual desired characteristics for their queens without any objectivity.

My but your evasive.
I'm happy to use your assessment criteria.
So how do your bees compare to the best available imports ?

 

[Eyeman]

My but your evasive.
I'm happy to use your assessment criteria.
So how do your bees compare to the best available imports ?

You'll have to come over and see them yourself during the summer so that I can get an unbiased opinion.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You'll have to come over and see them yourself during the summer so that I can get an unbiased opinion.

 

[Brian Bush]

I have been informed today that the Bucks Beekeeping County association will oppose these propositions. They feel the propositions were not well thought out and recognize that the BBKA does not have the power to ban the imports of bees.

 

[mazzamazda]

I have been informed today that the Bucks Beekeeping County association will oppose these propositions. They feel the propositions were not well thought out and recognize that the BBKA does not have the power to ban the imports of bees.

Well done!

 

[Fatbee]

I'm in Bucks and pleased to hear this. I've given up queen rearing because of the aggressiveness I get from local population. Takes the fun out of it. A local breeder who imports the queen rearing stock has provided me with fantastic queens that with care don't require replacing that often. Return in honey I get more than pays for them.