BBKA Membership

[lady malarkey]

Hello all!
I am a new bee-keeper, having installed my first nuc just this weekend.(They have been very busy since; seemed to have settled well.) Nine weeks ago, on the day I started a bee-keeping course, I applied to join the BBKA, for insurance purposes and the magazine, which I thought would keep me up-to-date with the latest in bee news.
However, I am still waiting for my membership card and pack to arrive. Is it usual to wait this long? I've e-mailed a couple of times, only to receive the same reply; that my membership is 'awaiting approval' and is it expected that 'membership pack will be in the post soon.'
Nine weeks seems a heck of a long time to wait. And what does 'approval' mean? I am concerned because now I have my first colony, the insurance aspect is important. Also, I've missed two copies of BBKA news.

Of course, they've taken my money!

Denise

 

[gandalfwhitewizard]

It would appear that several of our students are awaiting BBKA membership welcome pack and details and like yourself several emails later no further forward.
Might be worth calling them and ask what the problem is.
GWW

 

[victor meldrew]

Did you join as an association member or a direct member?
If direct you have very little say in the running of things !

John Wilkinson

 

[MrB]

my welcome pack arrived last week and i joined a month before stoneliegh!

 

[PeteN]

I joined through my local association in Feb. Insurance was covered by local asociation, and they issued a certificate immediately, I had my welcome pack from BBKA last week! Minus the membership card which is due ''during the summer of 2010''. I did however get an acknowledgment letter on the 13 April that was also proof of membership.

I suspect this is not unusual, when speaking to them regarding the membership card the lady was extremely plesant and helpful, I also suspect she handles most things there.

Might be best to speak direct and not go the email route.

 

[DanielSELondon]

Hi there,

My pack of info arrived last week and I joined months ago!

It will arrive with you soon I am sure!

 

[Brosville]

Probably too busy schmoozing with their pesticide company paymasters..........

 

[MrB]

Probably too busy schmoozing with their pesticide company paymasters..........

HaHa i was waiting for that

 

[Poly Hive]

Bit snide Bros but then what else eh?

From the BBKA one cannot expect much in the way of efficiency.

Institutional arrogance is their benchmark.

As mentioned individual MEMBERSHIP despite being top dollar is worthless and when I questioned it I got a very snarky mail back from the membership sec.

Welcome to the warped world of the BBKA. ( a misnomer if ever....)

For newbies the British element means English which puts up the backs of the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish all of whom have as good if not better associations in place.

Arrogance or what?


PH

 

[victor meldrew]

HaHa i was waiting for that

SSSooooooooo predictable !!!!!!!!!.
One track mind .

John Wilkinson

 

[Brosville]

predictable? - oh well, next time I'll go on about their imminent receipt of the "Mugabe prize for democracy in action........"

 

[victor meldrew]

predictable? - oh well, next time I'll go on about their imminent receipt of the "Mugabe prize for democracy in action........"

Right on Cue

VM

 

[Widdershins]

Welcome!

Hello LadyM,
Firstly, welcome to the Forum - as others have said, its a case of you'll recieve when they send it - not much help, but one day soon, hey?

 

[lady malarkey]

Patience bee a virtue, then?

Thank you for all your responses. I was beginning to think I was on some blacklist in the bee underworld.
'Ooooh, no! She can't be a bee-keeper. Look at the length of the legs on 'er bee-suit, for a start. The crotch is far too low!'

I haven't joined a local association, mostly because any attempts to contact them over the eighteen months have been met with a deathly hush...look, there goes another ball of tumbleweed, and hark! Is that a cricket I hear, chirruping into the silence?

Decided to go down the lonesome route, aided by two magnificent bee mentors who have been teaching me everything they know, and allowed me to practise handling their bees, plus many books and forums and pod casts and well, you know...

Only joined BBKA (or am TRYING to join) because of the insurance.

 

[Brosville]

If that's the only reason, ask yourself the honest questions of how good that insurance is, and your need for it...........
In a nutshell, when did you last hear of someone being successfully sued because of what their bees had done?, and contemplate just how hard it would be to prove it was "one of yours".......
I can understand the point of friendly local associations, but to shell out an inordinate sum to be counted as "one of them" as a "web member" is beyond me.......
(a firm non-member until there is a root and branch reorganisation of the BBKA!)

 

[Poly Hive]

It is beyond a lot of us which is why we are working away trying to achieve an alternate route.

PH

 

[wightbees]

I had to join my local as a friend , but have been asked if i would like to pay the extra so
that i will get the insurance. What does the insurance cover ?

 

[lady malarkey]

Hmmm, I see what you mean. I thought, as a newbie, it was the 'done thing'. Something to think about next year, when it comes to renewal.

All I want is to help look after bees as best I can. None of this political malarkey!

But the input and insight I'm gaining from this forum is already proving invaluable.

 

[margob99]

As a new beekeeper myself, I'm intrigued by the hints I'm picking up of some seriously entrenched and long-standing feuds going on between Associations, governing bodies, regulators and inspectorates.

Am I wrong?

 

[Roy S]

In a nutshell there are a some that dont like the way the BBKA are running things and want to break the monopoly of thier running of the craft.
Others are quite happy with the way things are going. and yet even more cant be bothered one way or the other as long as they dont have to do anything active within the association. There are even those who are convinced the BBKA are the spawn of the devil, and have umpteen conspiracy theories to back it up ....so pretty much the same as any other club or society in the UK

As it is I dont think any club or association ever makes its entire membership happy all the time.

Me??...I just try to help out my BKA whenever I can