Heidi Herrmann's responses to your countryfile discussions -

[VEG]

haha

 

[Nellie]

Oh Lordy, it's on again.
I'm sorry there's so much tosh going on. Those that want to whinge that 'we're' all having a go at them need only to watch this to understand why.

There's a big skep that takes a super, with frames, to harvest honey. But I'm a manipulating git who steals all the honey and feeds syrup? Why does the bull poo hive change that?

Sorry Heidi, you're ignorant. Peddle the sun hive by all means, for all I know it's fantastic, until you need to get into it. Swarms are good I assume? But don't tar the rest of us with your patronising, fallacious, condescending view of a beekeeping style that, in my experience, pretty much doesnt exist outside of biobees and your own imagination, to justify your own style of beekeeping.

"It works" should be enough of a justification. "It's better" I can accept, if not necessarily believe. "Chemical Ali needs a suit while he steals all the honey" might have worked until you got the host stung while telling her they were our friends.

Let your method of beekeeping stand on its own. While you persist in, frankly, insulting the rest of us, you'll have to accept that you're going to get a rough ride.

 

[drstitson]

nellie - you've missed the point.

natural beekeeping is just that - no unnecessary interference with natural process.

so yes - swarms are allowed. it is the natural state of affairs.

the whole point of "normal" swarm management practices is a) to prevent nuisance b) to minimise loss of harvest c) to control colony genetics.

many europeans who make a living from bees allow swarming - lose X and catch Y. you don't see massive stacks of supers on hives but likewise no doubling up of hives/brood boxes in mid-late spring.

Most UK practices are based around need to produce a good crop from a small number of hives with minimal hassle to all concerned. and to allow the beek to be nosy and interfere with the equilibrium of the superorganism willy nilly. how many times have we read recently about queenless hives where the kind beek has opened up weekly or more often after seeing a sealed queen cell. and then they expect HM to be in the mood for a bit of successful bunga-bunga.

 

[Brosville]

"Sorry Heidi, you're ignorant" - it's not her who's "ignorant" - yet again we have someone who knows diddly squat about her methods acting like a nun who's had her bum pinched, just because someone dares to do it differently - I'd suggest they learn something about what they're criticising before sounding off, and showing how little they know....

 

[Nellie]

Thanks Martin, I can always rely on you to hammer home the point.

I don't give two hoots what someone else does, I do start to get somewhat peeved when their justification for why their way is better is to make up a bunch of stuff about someone else. Especially if that someone else happens to he me.

 

[sunhivebee]

"Sorry Heidi, you're ignorant"

Mmmm, and I, dear Madam or Sir hiding behind some anonymous facade, am far too polite to tell you what I suspect you are!
But I would freely admit that the more I study bees the less I know.

With kind wishes
Heidi Herrmann

 

[For want of a better word]

Thanks Ms. heidiherrmann you are game on for a laugh !
Really enjoyed this discussion here on this wonderful forum... nice to see that not everyone takes beekeepering matters so seriously!

What are Countryfile going to screen on 1st April now?

 

[sunhivebee]

Do ask them. Next natural beekeeping coverage will be on another tv channel, but to be fair I have asked other fantastic natural beekeepers to co-operate ... will let you know when it's on.

 

[For want of a better word]

Do ask them. Next natural beekeeping coverage will be on another tv channel, but to be fair I have asked other fantastic natural beekeepers to co-operate ... will let you know when it's on.

That will be the [TSNBC] TOTNES Spring Naturists Beekeepers Convention ?

 

[Chris B]

many europeans who make a living from bees allow swarming - lose X and catch Y. you don't see massive stacks of supers on hives but likewise no doubling up of hives/brood boxes in mid-late spring.

I would hazard a guess, if I was only allowed to put effort into swarm control or queen breeding, I'd probably be more profitable choosing the latter.

 

[For want of a better word]

I would hazard a guess, if I was only allowed to put effort into swarm control or queen breeding, I'd probably be more profitable choosing the latter.

Swarmy bees produce swarmy bees.... better to select queens for non swarmyness, lack of aggression and longevity/ ability to cope with local environment, honey production and quietness on the comb... evin if you insist in keeping them in cow poo covered skeps under a pyramid !

 

[sunhivebee]

Swarmy bees produce swarmy bees.... better to select queens for non swarmyness, lack of aggression and longevity/ ability to cope with local environment, honey production and quietness on the comb... evin if you insist in keeping them in cow poo covered skeps under a pyramid !

I am inclined to consider bowing before your wisdom .... but - all things considered - I think the bees might be even wiser than you ..... having selected themselves successfully for a few million years before all sorts of clever dicks came along to apply their superior insights to messing up the bees and nature as a whole.
Thanks for the pyramid idea - if you'd like to build one I offer you three hundred acres to play around in. Just drop me a line.

 

[For want of a better word]

Thanks... we have a few more than that to develop apiaries in... although Iwe are seriously considering some kind of shelter, pyramid shaped or may be geodesic hexagons, after this summer ( more for beekeepers than the bees.
Really would be interested in the source / type / strain of bee you get to stay in your sun hives... would hope they are pure English Apis mellifera mellifera ?

60 000 + years of messing and they are still stinging... clever bees!

 

[tonybloke]

icanhopit, a hexagon is a 2 dimensional object.
did you mean a geodesic dome?

 

[For want of a better word]

icanhopit, a hexagon is a 2 dimensional object.
did you mean a geodesic dome?

Phew.. we now move into dimensionality !

and we were worried about crystals ?


Yes loik what they has at thet Eden Project!​

 

[Cazza]

Is that supposed to be a Norfolk accent? Terrible!
Cazza

 

[Chris B]

having selected themselves successfully for a few million years before all sorts of clever dicks came along to apply their superior insights to messing up the bees and nature as a whole

Is it the artificial selection of the best breeding stock you object to Heidi or simply queen rearing methods? I ask because I don't see organic or biodynamic farmers applying that kind of thinking to any other animal in their care. You won't let any old bull run with the herd. There probably wouldn't even be a herd unless countless generations of farmers had bred from the best, according to the things that were important to them.

There was an old bee farmer in Shropshire (now deceased) who used to just split his best colonies in half in the autumn and let them rear their own queens. The best ones being the ones that produced the most honey. He had some good bees.

 

[tonybloke]

Phew.. we now move into dimensionality !
and we were worried about crystals ?​

pyramid shaped or may be geodesic hexagons,

you started it!!​

 

[sunhivebee]

Is it the artificial selection of the best breeding stock you object to Heidi or simply queen rearing methods? I ask because I don't see organic or biodynamic farmers applying that kind of thinking to any other animal in their care. You won't let any old bull run with the herd. There probably wouldn't even be a herd unless countless generations of farmers had bred from the best, according to the things that were important to them.

There was an old bee farmer in Shropshire (now deceased) who used to just split his best colonies in half in the autumn and let them rear their own queens. The best ones being the ones that produced the most honey. He had some good bees.

Hi, Chris

The Shropshire farmer's methods definitely had something going for it; the artificial selection of best breeding stock is a tricky affair as so much depends on the breeders view of "best"; does not the selection for particular characteristics inherently risk "downbreeding" others?
I have no expertise in this field but have reason to be pleased with my self-selecting mongrels' survival, varroa coping and behaviour traits. The latter, of course, are likely to be husbandry-related.

Heidi

 

[For want of a better word]

Is that supposed to be a Norfolk accent? Terrible!
Cazza

Pure Estuary !​