Bee decline documentary

[RoofTops]

I support your idea of doing lots of research. Alternatively, if you want to make a film about vanishing bees then you won't want facts to get in the way. The situation is complex, contradictory and still largely not fully understood so making a comprehensive film will be quite a challenge.

For example, you will certainly find examples of bees killed by pesticides - in Germany most recently but you will also find examples of CCD in the US amongst beekeepers who kept their bees along the most strict organic lines far from industrial farming. Sort the bones out of that one. (Hint: probably different reasons for the bee deaths)

Likewise, you will find beekeepers in the UK who have lost large numbers of bees but alongside them are beekeepers who are coping with the new threats and altering their beekeeping practices to suit.

It is not a simple issue.

 

[clare p]

i believe that fast rise of beekeeping of beginners means rise in losses too. I may see again in forum that beginners are not able to rear big enough colonies. Too large space at the beginning. Then too much honey in the hive and there is not enough space for brood. when the hive is too full, a small colony swarms and loose its power to build up.

Small colony has too much space in wintering. It stresses bees.

That is my quess.

If you bye a 5 frame nuc, it should be quite big hive in autumn. A swarm is more slow to build up.

If you put 3 frame swarm in the whole box space, it is really slow to build up. And many other reasons.

No understanding of heat economy of the colony. Non insulating, mesh floors in nucs, holes here and there. Sticks between box and inner cover.

Your right Finman
we better all give up now!

 

[Finman]

Your right Finman
we better all give up now!

Let the natural selection do it!

 

[thurrock bees]

sorry pressed a wrong button

remember bees do not hibernate, they are awake all the year and like pengiuns, bees rota from outside to inside of the cluster to keep warm and still you end up in a good year with 5000 dead bees on the floor if they survive and 15,000 if they don't

So what do i think about loss of bees, seems mostlyb poison or a mix of poisons and is consistent over the last few years and is just a bandwagon from the usa media frensy on the problem of CCD if it was me i would make a film about the compassion beekeepers have for their bees i have been to visit my failing hive every day dfor the last four weeks, when i could just torch them and buy a nucleus of bees next year for £100 of free if i split a hive, so far i must have spent double in travel treatment and that not counting my time,

talk to beeks about starving bees with their tongues out, poisoned bees dead bees like black pitiful eye holes in in the snow ,chill brood as the hive dwindles to zero and look at the tender care given in vain to a failing hive just because we care, combining small and queen less hives to get one out of two through winter, traipsing through snow and minus temperature just to feed them candy on the coldest days of the year

A very interesting thread, i tend to agree the MM on most of his posts.

As ive collected swarms over the last few years i have had members of the public contact me not knowing weather they are bees or wasps, they are also are concerned with the blight of the bees, from the media's courage, and i explain that the honey bee is only one of over 250 speices in the UK.

I personally feel that the honey bee is getting the better deal as most have beekeepers who can look after them and treat when needed. And that the other speices like bumbles ( all 37 speices) and solitary bees like the leaf cutter have it hardest with lack of flowers that are native, destruction of their natural habitat by man from development and destroying of gardens for decking/patios, and lack of intolerance from people as they '' have small children and dont want to get bitten ''.

However ive also help 3 newbies this year, two beeks had EFB in their hives and they thought this was normal, and another beek who kept knocking the Queen Cells , not realising they are not swarm but raising a new queen as they were queenless- result me rushing two frames of eggs to him so they can raise their own. All three beeks have never done a course and was reading it from a book.

some may not share my veiws though

 

[RoofTops]

Is the biggest threat to honey bees beekeepers?

 

[thurrock bees]

Is the biggest threat to honey bees beekeepers?

yes and no, the biggest threat from beekeepers are the ones that dive in, buy the hive and bees and have not done a course, have a mentor or worked along side a another beek.
A trained beekeeper is a great assist to the bees

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Is the biggest threat to honey bees beekeepers?

I have said that for a long time.

 

[hedgerow pete]

chris , as you can see there are lots of people willing to help you here but PLEASE POST WHERE YOU LIVE as we, as a forum are willing to get you in front of a hive with a beek,

secondly i find very rude that you dont say where, as an exsample two people posted last week and were infront of my hives within 3 days for tea and a chat,

most beeks have spare clothes for you to wear so thats sorted

also i have found personaly that the urban bee keeper does have a lot better forage and a some what simpler time at it, ie bees at the bottom of the garden rather than 10 miles away

i would suggest that you try as a couple of points for the video a differant aproach,

try these out with your friends.

a positive view, follow an urban beek in his season or a part of it showing how the rise of the urban beek is saving the world and helping to prevent the devastation of the bee populations etc etc etc, but as part of the over view add in the problems faced every where else, a bit like the old black and white news reels sort of idea, that would work well in the 20 minute range you have , why not film it in black and white.

or try to compare a proffesional set up with a simple 2 hive set up again show the positive and add the bad stuff over the talk over,

forget the honey bee and try to find someone into research into bumble bees, bumble bees are cute and you will get the ahhhhhh factor.

as an angle try for someone with a silly/outragous set up, disabled , shed, on top of tower block, there used to be a beek that had his hive ontop of St. Pauls in the centre of London

 

[hedgerow pete]

there are lots of differant angles you can use rather than the standard shock , horror story doom and gloom stuff, why not compare the american high stress styles against the english less stressfull ways , but be carfull with that one as it could come out wrong as a message

maybe an idea is that most commercial tomatoe growers and green house users have bumble bee specialy breed for crop fertilisation try following that up, as a suggestion try the horticultral research at wellsbourne near stratford on avon, i think they are under warwick uni now or as we used to call it as a local person warwick university PLC, lol.

try the idea of a view of a new beek trying to find out how to start up and their problems

try the view that beekeeping is now the new green hip and trendy way to save to plant, the "good life" effect etc

i have loads more ideas PM me if you need more ideas or suggestions

main thing is to not try to copy any of the other bee videos try some other perspective for once as all the doom and gloom stuff is getting boring to most of the general population

 

[RoofTops]

Good ideas HP.

 

[Chris B]

the rise of the urban beek is saving the world

Sounds like you work for Omlet Pete.

 

[hedgerow pete]

no sorry i dont work for omlet, they cant afford my super star fee's and my rider is to massive for them, lol

more than any thing i dont want to watch another boring doom and gloom the bees are all dying out video with lots of stupid americans and there trailers of bees going half way accross a continent and working with massive mono culture crops and agri chemicals being sprayed every where,

secondly i like watching the old black and white videos you lot post here as they are new and a differant way of producing the information, secondly i like the certain gingerbeer adverts for the same reason

also i find the film view of, a bee keeper going around his field looking at lots of very empty bee beehives complaining that they are all gone or dead or missing, i find boring and very uninteresting.

just had another though, does anyone else read the small booklets about men is sheds there are several now with each bloke doing something slightly differant in each one a twenty min video showing say 10 to 15 beeks and the way they keep bees to help save the planet

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

yes and no, the biggest threat from beekeepers are the ones that dive in, buy the hive and bees and have not done a course, have a mentor or worked along side a another beek.

- and who are also, as a consequence of lack of pre-information, more likely to lose interest and ignore previously managed bees. A colony is not just for harvest!

 

[chrisinahat]

i do apologies for not posting where im from. i have been very busy calling people and searching the internet, and can easily miss read posts or forget to answer questions.

im from Newport in south wales. this is also where we are based.

in answer to your suggestions. we have alot of ideas about where we are going to take this film, i like your ideas. we also believe that making a film that is fact based and about the decline is pretty much the same as any other. but more importantly does not relate to people.

i believe films need stories and people to allow them to relate, we have a few ideas that we believe would really do this.

basically a more character based doc.

i wont give any ideas away yet as, we havent done enough research to say yes this is the way to film it. simple as that.

thanks again.chris

 

[chrisinahat]

also thank you all for the offers of getting us to see some beekeeping, i think we didn't expect that

as first hand research is seriously important we will take up any offers. as were in south wales it could be a little difficult to get around on a low budget. but im sure we can get over that issue.


cheers

 

[hedgerow pete]

now that you have told us where you are we can at least have an ask round to see who is local for you to get to.

I am way up in birmingham so far to far for a visit unless you are passing by one day , i am near to junction one M5

 

[Storm™]

Just starting out in beekeeping myself and its a lot of info to take in. U Tube and forums are a good way to get info but you are going to have a massive undertaking in sorting the wheat from the chaff.

Here are three U Tube clips IMHO, NOT how to keep/care for bees. But I only know that due to the expertise on this forum. To be honest there is not a better source I have found since beginning to look a few months ago.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlw-EBFhl1Y&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zWoz98gLT8[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxv14eFEIkw&playnext=1&videos=uQjkjfh0TMI&feature=mfu_in_order[/ame]

 

[gavin]

as were in south wales it could be a little difficult to get around on a low budget. but im sure we can get over that issue.

I'll bet that you'd get great help from Dinah Sweet. She's in Caerphilly, and active in the Cardiff BKA as well as the Welsh BKA and BIBBA, the organisation trying to promote threatened native honeybees.

G.

 

[chrisinahat]

ok cool, is there any chance you could put me in contact with Dinah? that would also be really helpful.

thanks again. chris

 

[Russel]

Welsh BKA contacts El presidentai