British Black Bee Info

[mbc]

Sometimes ones agenda fits around what you have rather than the other way around, maybe I'm guilty of this.
Confirmation bias is a known thing.

 

[Anthony Appleyard]

I read that one beekeeper found that putting a vicious hive next to the entrance to the apiary field quickly cured a bout of vandalism.

 

[Erichalfbee]

This is passing into the realm of the ridiculous. Time to shut it down I suggest.

I might just tidy it up.

 

[admanga]

Oh no! The WORST beekeeping book I've ever read is -
Keep Bees without Fuss or Chemicals by Joe Bleasdale
....

I've read Joe Bleasdale's "Honey Without Harm" and "Care of bees in Warre and Top Bar Hives" and really enjoyed reading both books, the first is more recent and includes a lot of the second, which the author explains on the back cover. For 4E for the kindle version this is a gift. Even if you don't go along with his philosophy, there are lots of great tips for a beginner (that I had not yet found on here - surely will do sooner or later) such minimising hive heat loss by use of newspaper over candy, etc., merging hives with again a sheet of newspaper and a spearmint flavoured sugar spray.

Its nice to read a different view to what I perceive as the mainstream around here: "keep your bees in a big box, open it weekly to check and remove queen cells and treat 2 or more times per year with chemicals that are toxic to the bees and despite all this care 30% die over winter". Joe gives hope of a time after the varroa period when mainstream bees too will be have some varroa resistance.

 

[rolande]

Merging.

If RAB was still posting he'd now be giving a lecture on the use of proper beekeeping terminology

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

plus a tirade about posting utter rubbish

 

[Erichalfbee]

I must admit my heart sank when I saw this three year old thread reopened. I’m keeping a beady eye on it.

 

[madasafish]

I

Its nice to read a different view to what I perceive as the mainstream around here: "keep your bees in a big box, open it weekly to check and remove queen cells and treat 2 or more times per year with chemicals that are toxic to the bees and despite all this care 30% die over winter". Joe gives hope of a time after the varroa period when mainstream bees too will be have some varroa resistance.

?
I lose about 70% of my bees in each hive from summer to winter - normal colony performance.
I do not lose 30% of my colonies over winter since becoming semi proficient after a couple of years of beekeeping..(In my first year I lost ...err none)

And this chart suggest the 30% losses are US statistics rather than UK - which are far less.
https://oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2023/11/05/winter-losses-not-quite-what-they-seem/

President Trump would be proud of you.

 

[admanga]

All right, all right. Of course I meant colonies not bees.

This thread is not a welcoming place for a newbee to hang around! I'll move on.

 

[warsaw_hive]

This thread is not a welcoming place for a newbee to hang around! I'll move on.

I can recommend the Warré googlegroups mailing list.

 

[robmort]

All right, all right. Of course I meant colonies not bees.

This thread is not a welcoming place for a newbee to hang around! I'll move on.

If you post such strong words about the "mainstream view" what do you expect?

 

[pargyle]

I must admit my heart sank when I saw this three year old thread reopened. I’m keeping a beady eye on it.

It's on it's way to termination already ... it's a pity that some members on here cannot resist leaping in as soon as someone mentions a less than conventional way of keeping bees. My view has always been (as is my beekeeping) to the outer edges of conventional and we should be tolerant of those that tread a lighter path. I won't tolerate 'Beehavers' who just put bees in a box and leave them to it but as long as beekeepers behave responsibly with their bees and understand that some elements of management are required then we should let them express their views. Challenge, by all means, but leave the snippy comments off the page please.

It does the forum no good when newish members make comments that this is not a friendly place ... so behave.

 

[Mint Bee]

surely this is a regular occurrence where a new forum member believes they keep bees in a fashion that is the only proper way to do so and is inflammatory with regards to this. Everyone else is in the wrong. When this is pointed out, and that are many ways to successfully keep bees in a collaborative fashion with the bees, the new forum member takes offence.

Maybe some of the new forum members should take time to understand the board church that this forum is and stop being offensive to the rest of the collective in the first place.

 

[Erichalfbee]

surely this is a regular occurrence where a new forum member believes they keep bees in a fashion that is the only proper way to do so and is inflammatory with regards to this. Everyone else is in the wrong.

With the advent of so many YouTube “experts” and much dubious published material I’m afraid it’s commonplace.