Beeks not in Associations

[Apple]

Registering on Beebase... had heard tell that the County Associations here in the South West were considering making colony registration compulsory if you wanted to be a member.

On Policing it with so many not members of any beekeeping association or group... I am sure that most beekeepers would "dib in" any new or existing apiary sites that the SBI is NOT aware of.

Biggest problem I can identify on spreading of disease is "collectors" not quarantining the swarms they capture before selling on to beginners... who to be fair would not necessarily know a diseased colony if they had one.......

Not that I have not stated that hot topic before

 

[robinharman]

Licensing would never work. Many would decline to register. Impossible to police or enforce. That's before you think about the costs of running a scheme that would never be self financing.
Dog licensing was abolished in 1988 at which time only approximately half of dog owners had a licence.

 

[Into the lions den]

Isn't this how ITLD overcame EFB? I wouldn't call that "achieving nothing".

I wish. I suspect we will be dealing with EFB at low levels for the rest of my life. Even if you turf it all out it gets back in.

In Norway they cull the entire business or entity for EFB..even one cell. Also still have EFB.

 

[Apple]

Licensing would never work. Many would decline to register. Impossible to police or enforce. That's before you think about the costs of running a scheme that would never be self financing.
Dog licensing was abolished in 1988 at which time only approximately half of dog owners had a licence.

BUT half did pay for a licence.

How about starting a campaign to abolish road fund and driving licences... if half the population did not comply then we could do away with it and save the exchequer £Billions on collecting them, and free up a lot of office space in Swansea!

 

[Apple]

I wish. I suspect we will be dealing with EFB at low levels for the rest of my life. Even if you turf it all out it gets back in.

In Norway they cull the entire business or entity for EFB..even one cell. Also still have EFB.

We still have TB in cattle... I am waiting with baited breath to see what the outcome of ceasing the culling of Badgers will bring.

 

[robinharman]

BUT half did pay for a licence.

How about starting a campaign to abolish road fund and driving licences... if half the population did not comply then we could do away with it and save the exchequer £Billions on collecting them, and free up a lot of office space in Swansea!

Yes, do away with Road Tax and add it onto fuel prices, though those in the sticks would moan.
Would have to raise £6.5 billion (2019-20 figures) that is currently raised via VED.

 

[Newbeeneil]

How about the NBU sorted out PL insurance when you registered for BeeBase? That's the only reason most beeks join the BBKA. Their numbers would plummet and more would hopefully register on BeeBase,

 

[B+.]

I wish. I suspect we will be dealing with EFB at low levels for the rest of my life. Even if you turf it all out it gets back in.

In Norway they cull the entire business or entity for EFB..even one cell. Also still have EFB.

I think you're being characteristically modest Murray.
OK, so there may be a residual effect which you can address in due course, but, you took appropriate action at the time to prevent a catastrophe - not just to your business, but, to anyone who came in contact with the affected colonies. I stand by my earlier comment: it is not "achieving nothing".

 

[user 819]

Point them this way there’s plenty here who cover the spectrum of different beekeeping styles and some good 1s in each camp.

Problem I think with my lot or I should rephrase the Assoc
I'm a member with, is that this isn't a BBKA org so most won't join or even let alone get involved. I'm not sure but think I may have seen one other who may be on here.

 

[ericbeaumont]

BUT half did pay for a licence.

They're not the half you'd worry about.

 

[Swarm]

I think you're being characteristically modest Murray.
OK, so there may be a residual effect which you can address in due course, but, you took appropriate action at the time to prevent a catastrophe - not just to your business, but, to anyone who came in contact with the affected colonies. I stand by my earlier comment: it is not "achieving nothing".

So how many years of doing the same procedure would it take for you to consider you are not getting anywhere?

 

[Curly green finger's]

I certainly feel the same. After tripping over the site in 2008 and asking some dumb questions, I was made to feel welcome with a 'do it' vibe.
I approached the local beekeeping association, and was treated with a frosty 'members of the public should not keep bees'.
I got my first bees from Hedgerow Pete, and with the support of this forum, now have 14 apiaries and far too many bees.

I have been accused of being 'a commercial beekeeper from outside the area spreading diseases' and 'it is not possible for them not to know about me with so many bees', despite not being commercial (at the time) and being under their noses for 8 years (at the time) I was treated with nothing but distain.
I continue to exist in a low key manner, but also help a large number of beekeepers to keep bees without assoc beekeepers looking down on them telling them it MUST be done in a particular way.... 'if you have not been trained by the bbka, you must be doing it wrong'.

I for one thank Mark for opening this site, but also those many members that helped me, particularly through the early years.
I do not hang around here as much as I used to, primarily due to a poisoning of attitude. Even on this thread there is talk of non-association members abandoning hives and spreading diseases. I am sure pound for pound, there are as many assoc members that do the same thing.

I often see 'I am right, and you are wrong', rather than helping those asking the questions. This frustrates me as sometimes they both may be right, and are just different ways of doing the same thing. The bees are what matter, and different manners of keeping bees are not necessarily wrong.
Not being part of an assoc is not wrong. With help and guidance, many beekeepers can be turned into a good beekeeper.
I was not trained, but learnt by this forum and reading tons of material.

I act by logic, and not what I am dictated to do. Consider the UKs history of varroa and how the associations failed to act. This alone tells me there is no such thing as a perfect beekeeper.

My pleasure for starting the bfuk.
Can't imagine how it's got this far with my spelling

 

[B+.]

So how many years of doing the same procedure would it take for you to consider you are not getting anywhere?

I don't understand your question

 

[Hachi]

Few associations demand beekeepers do anything in a certain way unless you are on their apiaries. What we really need is the government to make it a legal requirement to register on BeeBase so the NBU has a complete picture of where everyone is. Often when their are EFB outbreaks it is the unregistered, un inspected apiaries that allow a disease to persist in areas.

The problem with this theory is that there aren't enough SBI to do the job and the situation will be doing well to be maintained in the post C-19 world of huge debt let alone increase of staff numbers to meet demand.

I have only seen one SBI in 8 years and he destroyed the sealed Q cells in the hive that had swarmed, it never recovered. The next SBI will be under close supervision I can assure you. And yes I'm on beebase.

 

[HughMann]

I think anyone that I knows about security would laugh at this webpages warnings.

...............

Rather than it’s not safe maybe WhatsApp presents some mild privacy concerns would be a fairer thing to say.

Long ramble on why its safe, THEN admit to privacy concerns - what part of privacy concerns is not the BASIS of unsafe apps?
https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/06/whatsapp_privacy_policy_demand/"WhatsApp users must agree to share their personal information with Facebook and its wider empire if they want to continue using the messaging service from next month, according to its terms and conditions."
If you think the basis of privacy is - I have nothing to hide, you have no clue about privacy or security.
FYI I have been a security professional AND author on the subject for over 15 years - NO employee of mine is allowed to use such apps

 

[BugsInABox]

Long ramble on why its safe, THEN admit to privacy concerns - what part of privacy concerns is not the BASIS of unsafe apps?
https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/06/whatsapp_privacy_policy_demand/"WhatsApp users must agree to share their personal information with Facebook and its wider empire if they want to continue using the messaging service from next month, according to its terms and conditions."
If you think the basis of privacy is - I have nothing to hide, you have no clue about privacy or security.
FYI I have been a security professional AND author on the subject for over 15 years - NO employee of mine is allowed to use such apps

Long ramble? - simply responding to the 5 areas your link raised. Given your specialist knowledges surely you’ll agree 1&3 in your link especially are nonsense and the others are easily countered. I agree with your comment about nothing to hide being irrelevant to privacy - but you were suggesting WhatsApp is dangerous. Come on, some nuance is called for - metadata then backups and status updates (both of which you can switch off).
I/we/you might object to the tracking that goes on and even act to minimise it but to call this example dangerous just obfuscates the really dangerous stuff that’s out there.

Maybe play the ball rather than the man and explain why you think it’s dangerous and why you forbid your employees from using it - then we might learn something. Meanwhile I’ll stick with ‘mild privacy concerns’ and act accordingly but not deny myself a hugely useful tool and source of family communication and joy.
And I’ll continue to not use Facebook.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Meanwhile I’ll stick with ‘mild privacy concerns’ and act accordingly but not deny myself a hugely useful tool and source of family communication and joy.
And I’ll continue to not use Facebook.

And WhatsApp are extending video calls to desktops

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I couldn't operate without Whatsapp - it's a Godsend when you're communucating with people out in the sticks in Africa.

 

[Murox]

I couldn't operate without Whatsapp - it's a Godsend when you're communucating with people out in the sticks in Africa.

I have family and friends dotted around the globe and I couldn't agree more.

Regarding security issues in other posts ~ the internet generally is inherently a "leaky" place and you use it in all its guises very much at your own risk.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have family and friends dotted around the globe and I couldn't agree more.

Regarding security issues in other posts ~ the internet generally is inherently a "leaky" place and you use it in all its guises very much at your own risk.

I take all the usual precautions...
I make all my voice calls with my head in a microwave (I'll get around to building a bespoke Faraday cage one day)
I never forget to don my tinfoil hat when on conference video calls