How to get All Beekeepers a Bad Name 2!!!!

[Brian Bush]

Two of my colleagues went to collect a swarm yesterday.
The hive owner, I won't call her beekeeper, for reasons I am about to outline had two Flow Hives.
She had purchased the hives and a London supplier supplied the bees and put them in the hives.
She has never attended a beginners course
She has never been mentored by another beekeeper. She does not belong to any association.
She has never opened and inspected the hives because she has no knowledge or understanding of bees or beekeeping.
She has a 'fat wallet' and thought you just bought 2 flow hives, filled them with bees and you had honey on tap.
My colleagues who went to collect the swarm were in despair.
The swarm was large and has a lovely temperament. I am the lucky recipient and I have just been to check them out. Roll on the next hive swarming!!!!

 

[birdsandbees]

Jeez! really!

reminds me of a Lady I collected a couple of Swarms from last year, they were in her horse paddock, I was sorting them out when I noticed two hives in off in the distance, when I asked about them she has had them for a couple of years as 'she loves bees' but not once has opened them up, she just calls people out when they swarm!

 

[roche]

Isn't that an argument for registration of some kind? With bees only sold to registered beekeepers and at least a few hurdles required to become registered...

 

[birdsandbees]

Isn't that an argument for registration of some kind? With bees only sold to registered beekeepers and at least a few hurdles required to become registered...

You'll always get those folks under the Radar though, you don't have to be registered to find a swarm or set up a bait hive.

 

[B+.]

Isn't that an argument for registration of some kind? With bees only sold to registered beekeepers and at least a few hurdles required to become registered...

Who would administer this? Certainly not the BBKA!!!!!
I am a registered breeder with BeeBreed and AGT but when I volunteered for the pilot of the BBKA bee breeders certificate, I was rejected because they decided that I kept the wrong bee (see https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=39682 for the sorry tale)

 

[philipm]

I blame a lot of it on idiots in the media,Programs like Gardeners World who make having a hive look so simple with out regard to what it actually entails. Its great to try and save the planet by having bees but they are doing more damage by encouraging people with no knowledge and who have no intention of learning anything.

 

[Julie in Ash]

My non-beekeeper friends ask me questions about bees and to a person, they have all swallowed the narrative of honeybees being endangered. I can quite imagine well meaning people wanting to set up a hive and sit back and do nothing. I have even seen people join different forums asking how to set up such a hive. Recoiling in shock when they slowly fall in its not that simple.

I won’t name them, but there is a high profile company who caters for exactly this group. Pay eye watering amounts of money for a moulded plastic hive and starter pack of bees. I do gather they at least encouraging new hive owners to join a club, but there is no requirement for passing basic knowledge before the bees arrive.

There is, I am sorry to say, an awful lot of ignorance about how bees live. Chatting to my neighbour today about bees I am shortly getting - she’s a lovely, lovely woman but she really thought bees were anaesthetised with some kind of gas before handling and transport. I showed her my nuc box and told her they will be in that, and she was gobsmacked. She asked if they will be all buzzing and stuff. Let us hope she never fancies taking up Beekeeping herself.

 

[Newbeeneil]

My non-beekeeper friends ask me questions about bees and to a person, they have all swallowed the narrative of honeybees being endangered. I can quite imagine well meaning people wanting to set up a hive and sit back and do nothing. I have even seen people join different forums asking how to set up such a hive. Recoiling in shock when they slowly fall in its not that simple.

I won’t name them, but there is a high profile company who caters for exactly this group. Pay eye watering amounts of money for a moulded plastic hive and starter pack of bees. I do gather they at least encouraging new hive owners to join a club, but there is no requirement for passing basic knowledge before the bees arrive.

There is, I am sorry to say, an awful lot of ignorance about how bees live. Chatting to my neighbour today about bees I am shortly getting - she’s a lovely, lovely woman but she really thought bees were anaesthetised with some kind of gas before handling and transport. I showed her my nuc box and told her they will be in that, and she was gobsmacked. She asked if they will be all buzzing and stuff. Let us hope she never fancies taking up Beekeeping herself.

I think we all know people like this.
I also find amazing ignorance in the general public but also the amazing interest one can generate in bees by just explaining about the care and management we, as beekeepers, put into our hobby.
I was recently asked by a potential client to quote for supplying her with 2 new WBC hives complete with bees and management for a year. To her suprise I sent her my normal comprehensive proposal outlining the frequency of inspections, treatments and support.
She replied immediately to say she had no idea that bees needed such maintenance, told me order the hives, to invoice for the whole year and tell her what books she should read.
When I installed the hives she asked me to bring her a bee suit she could use so she could help me. She is so excited by the bees she has now ordered herself a Ozarmour suit for herself and also one for her gardener!
She has also ordered hives for her home in Italy but unfortunately she using a local beekeeper

 

[Adam Bee]

This is just humanity, I suppose. I had a marine aquarium for the longest time and the people I'd meet that thought "Hey, I'd love to have an octopus in my living room. How much does a tank cost? I can pay." without understanding that one is keeping livestock in a controlled environment. I've seen others buy kit and ask why their fish were dying and found out they were letting tap water sit in a bucket overnight "to remove the chlorine" and tipping it into the tank followed by some salt.

I never know exactly how to react because these people are acting on the well intentioned ignorance bred by a lifetime in a pre-packaged world. The reaction does tend to be some form of part horrified and part sad.

But then again milk comes from plastic bottles and "getting back to basics" with a hamburger means taking mince from a package and forming your own patties (how rustic). No cows are involved in either product.

 

[Rosti]

Isn't that an argument for registration of some kind? With bees only sold to registered beekeepers and at least a few hurdles required to become registered...

But Roche, doesn't that make the assumption that as beekeepers we know best? The little blighters have only been evolving for 120m years give or take. They'll always run rings round us. Someone buys them a nice home, they do well, they swarm, swarm finds new home, does well, swarms, swarms migrate slowly north, finally xx generations later that ladies bee progeny find their way into my bait hive. Result!

 

[eltalia]

"My non-beekeeper friends ask me questions about bees and to a person, they have all swallowed the narrative
of honeybees being endangered. I can quite imagine well meaning people wanting to set up a hive and sit back and
do nothing. I have even seen people join different forums asking how to set up such a hive. Recoiling in shock when
they slowly fall in its not that simple."

Nailed it, precisely.

"I won’t name them, but there is a high profile company who caters for exactly this group."

The prime offender is Australian, sadly enough both beekeeps who should know better
yet one of whom at least is being pushed along now by the corporate monster created.
Totally out of control, the whole deal.
Between the bogans, the opportunists, and now the well heeled casual carer - as the OP
describes - what is an excellent concept is headed for a canyon plunge, a train wreck in
the making.

Bill

 

[ShinySideUp]

All we can do is educate as much as we can. I make no secret of the fact that if someone asks me about bees they are about to lose a minimum of half an hour of their lives. I rarely (in fact, have never) had anyone look bored and most, if not all are surprised about the facts of bees and beekeeping.

 

[eltalia]

All we can do is educate as much as we can.

As another has noted this education stream outlook assumes
the whomever beekeeper knows best - true maybe for the basics
as life cycle and maybe foraging characteristics, but past that
the info stream is heavily biased towards whatever philosophy is
followed, and so we get that "ask a question get X.squared
answers".
Add to all of that the quantum change this past decade from
"traditional" methods being subverted by VD in many places and
education becomes a whole new ballgame.
An interesting quote from a paper recently read was "what we
grapple with today is the fact the new beekeeper has to start
with sick bees as no bees distributed from VD zones can honestly
be given a clean bill of health"(paraphrased).
Back when it could be said the drovers dog could startup a new
colony, box them and away they go. Today many believing nothing
has changed despatch bees which will die, as the level of knowledge
required to deal with sick bees far exceeds that of simply boxing
bees up and wait.
The outcomes must impact established beekeepers reputations.

Bill

 

[Poly Hive]

I was at an event where a Beehauss was being promoted. I said to the rep you do realise that chickens can peck your ankles but bees can kill you?

He looked utterly shocked.

PH

 

[Show me the honey]

I’ve had a bloke say to me about putting a hive in the bottom of his garden I told him it’s not as easy as that I got ‘why not no different than having a bird box on your house’

 

[madasafish]

I’ve had a bloke say to me about putting a hive in the bottom of his garden I told him it’s not as easy as that I got ‘why not no different than having a bird box on your house’

One visitor to one of our taster sessions last year bought a WBC and bees In October - no training - and placed in his front garden. His wife wanted them there, 5 meters from conservatory - because "they looked nice".

After one swarm- which swirled round said conservatory - they are being moved to a field half a mile away.....

 

[Stevo1977]

I don't think that the criteria you specify is all that makes a responsible Bee Keeper. Although in the scenario you have described it's a massive contributor. As an example I'm self taught (never attended a beginners course although I wanted too). I've never been mentored. I'm in my second year of being a Bee Keeper I regularly inspect my Hives and protect against pests and threats to the hive as and when required as of yet I've never had a swarm although I have seen QC's present but measures can be implemented to still prevent swarms Artificial swarms/Splits/more space (supers/BB) being added etc etc.

My point is that to be responsible, informed, successful Bee Keeper you don't necessarily require all of the criteria you have mentioned you just need to be a responsible person and understand what you're about to partake in.

 

[Adam Bee]

I’ve had a bloke say to me about putting a hive in the bottom of his garden I told him it’s not as easy as that I got ‘why not no different than having a bird box on your house’

First off, I take your point, and appreciate it. To the general public, it’s not as easy as it looks.

My only comment here is that many people don’t really give a flying fig about the birds in their bird box (or the bats). They are wild creatures and the box provider is just happy enough when something occupies it. The birds may stay there a while, may leave or may die.

A beekeeper cares about her bees and their welfare and often their production. It’s animal husbandry.

But to me, the actual bird box analogy would be similar to placing a bait hive on a tree and just being happy if a colony moved in and feeling a bit sad when it left, swarmed out or died. That anyone can do; but it’s essentially a wild / feral hive.

 

[Brian Bush]

Just to add to my list of Beekeepers who get others a bad name. In a nearby village a beekeeper has 2 hives. They duly swarmed into an elderly neighbor's garden. The beekeeper with the help of her friend collected the 2 prime swarms and then rang me to say they could not collect the cast swarm as they had no equipment. I boxed up and collected the first cast swarm 2x 18 mile round trips.
Since then I have been summoned by the neighbour for 2 more cast swarms!!
After this evenings jaunt I will have over 100 miles and spent 5 hours of my own time!!!!!!Hey Ho

 

[eltalia]

@Brian Bush

... that there us what "rescue" is about Brian, lots of cost in the shorterm.
Gather a reputation and it does not improve. We have had 'distress calls'
from Townsville - a regional city in NQ around 400kms from us, solved in knowing
who's who in the region abd so handing the job on.
Buuut it sure does warm the cockles where a rescue succeeds for both bees
and the caller.

Bill