I find a thick epidermis is a great advantage.
I have a pretty thick skin ... and I don't mind any sensible debate and I'm happy to have people correct me when I am wrong ... I am tolerant of people who have differing views and carve a different path in their beekeeping. The perspective of a 'different path', of course, depends upon which path you happen to be taking.
But ... and this is not aimed at anyone in particular - I think comments and points of argument should be constructive and it seems that the word 'Natural' - and I try to avoid using it at all - does seem to generate the worst excesses from some regular contributors.
For the record - I don't believe that there is any such thing as a natural way of keeping bees - if you keep them then they are KEPT - and the minute you intefere with their natural lives then it is no longer 'natural'.
However, there are many successful beekeepers who limit their interference to a low level - some are completely treatment free and succeeding despite the threats of Varroa and a plethora of bee diseases and conditions. Others limit their husbandry to intervention when it is absolutely essential. Those who include the use of proprietary products to combat the various threats to bees have no less place in beekeeping. I deplore those, in either camp, who take the 'my way is the right and only way' attitude. Without people who are prepared to try different methods (of whatever sort) we are never going to get any better ... and we have yet to contend with SHB, Asian Hornet etc. which are only a matter of time away from our shores.
I have no issues with whatever path a beekeeper takes - I am not an evangelist - or a bigot. Evangelists and bigots (inevitably a very small minority) are the cause of many of the world's conflicts. Perhaps we should all accept that we are all beekeepers of one sort of another and call an amnesty on any dividing issues.
I agree with Dishmop that the real scourge of beekeepers are those people who choose to totally neglect their bees and their hives. Having spent yesterday on a day's course on Bee Diseases with the RBI and his team it is clear that they consider that 'neglected hives' are a major concern and I, for one, would welcome compulsory registration for beekeepers and regulated inspection for disease and parasites.
I would not think there is anyone who contributes to (or follows) this forum that falls into the 'beekeeping by neglect' camp - so perhaps we should all be a little more tolerant of differing views and methods. I see, on another thread, that we have a less than complimentary synopsis of what this site is like - regardless of who made the comment, it comes up on the front page of a Google search - disparaging remarks about other members and their methods does nothing for our reputation.
Rant over.
