Defence of the Bees

[grizzly]

Hi All
I think i am going to join anger management classes after today, i was at work (Boooooooring), and one colleague had noticed a sticker on the back of my car about bees, he started asking questions and i enthusiastically replied keeping answers short and to the point.

I mentioned about their decline, and someone else said well i dont like honey anyway so i dont care if they die, to which i responded with the usual well you wont want your fruit and veg either then etc etc, and the response to that was oh here we go hes gonna tell us how amazing they are etc.
Thankfully my phone rang at that point as the fuse had been lit lol

I then realised its not the first time i have been met with pure ignorance regarding Bees, and it is frightening just how many people are oblivious to their plight, very few seem interested regardless of media attention.

Has anyone else experienced this, and does anyone know of a clever way to respond ? as next time i dont think my phone will save him. ha ha.

 

[Polyanwood]

That sounds stressful! Saved by the bell.

People know I keep bees and keep trying to engage me in conversation about whether they are dying out, what is the role of varroa in this and what the other causes of bees dying are. I am surprised how many times I am being asked that question. At the moment people are also asking me if they are hibernating yet. If they ask loads and loads of questions I ask them if they are thinking or becoming a beekeeper and would like some bees in their garden. At that point they usually looked shocked and say definitely not! LOL

 

[grizzly]

Perhaps my incident was an exception to the rule, my neighbours are always interested and keen to know more, i guess when you are under 30 nothing is as important as you.

Maybe i am suffering from SBAD = Seasonal Beekeeping Affective Disorder

You only have to see my photo to realise how Happy i am

 

[Polyanwood]

I think people are frightened of stinging insects and that most people cannot tell the difference between bees and wasps....a lot of people are very ignorant. Interestingly some of my children's friends are fascinated and two of them have used my spare suit and inspected the bees with me. I don't know what makes people have such different attitudes.

 

[BKF Admin]

i remember years ago seeing tv docs that showed children going to the seaside from inner London that had never seen it before.

I had to laugh when on the train one group asked "What are they miss?" the teacher replied "They are cows" another kid says "What do cows make?"

These kids age range was 11-13 not 3 to 4 years old.

 

[Markbee]

I had quite the oposite happen to me today.

Most people know I keep bees, and 3 people came up to me today and said Had I seen the news about the decline of the bees.

They where all quite keyed up that bees do more than make honey and that no bees is a major problem (using their simple words)

But it anoys me when they (via media reports) say your bees have a dissease!
(They mean varroa)

 

[BKF Admin]

Thats the number one question i get asked "Whats that virus called your bees have".

My worry is that with the media circus at work it will not be long before they also confuse AFB and EFB with HIV!!!!!!

 

[Polyanwood]

Do you play down varroa a bit to non beekeepers? I do.. feel a bit embarrassed as am deliberately playing it down. But I agree that I don't want people thinking too much about bees having mites and diseases... it will put them off bees even more !!! Also when they ask about treatment I always spell out that i would never treat the bees with my supers on as I want to keep my honey "pure".

What do you say?

 

[Markbee]

I just say the media has it wrong.

I bees have varroa to some level, but if you manage it, it is not a problem.

They seam fine with that.

I also say that much of the problem is with the "old boys" who are not up with the latest treatments etc

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes its allways the bee's have that disease,are yours okay,question.I just go oh,you mean varroa mites,thats not a disease more like a tick,parasite.and we have had that for 17 years,not a problem if you know what your doing.

 

[BKF Admin]

Same here, I just say that they have it all the time and with treatment I keep it under control.

When you think how much cr*p people eat from the frozen food section of supermarkets yet we offer a raw product.

I like to tell people about the 17 additives in the honey on supermarket shelves and the heat treatment that has killed the enzymes and healing properties of the honey.

I think shop purchased honey is about as close to raw honey as soya beef is to organic beef.

Maybe the BBKA could spend a little money on advertising the difference between shop purchased "pure" honey and the "raw" honey we sell.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Snap,thats just what i say about the supermarket honey,and when they come out with the bit your honey is expensive compared to the supermarket honey,i just say,well go and buy it there then.