Ne'then !

[jenkinsbrynmair]

He probably sits cross legged in front of the hive picking off the mites between his thumb and forefinger as the bees alight in front of the hive entrance

 

[mbc]

I'm always glad of an opportunity to roll out my favourite flow chart, apols if its getting tired but it still makes me chuckle.

 

[REDWOOD]

Trust says don't eat honey and should say don't eat yellow snow

 

[domino]

I always wonder if these people live in the modern World?

 

[Chris B]

well he has an entry on thier web site

Hadn't spotted that. I'd still guess he's not an official spokesperson.

"Don't eat honey" may as well be translated as "Don't harvest honey - ever". Which is odd as Jonathan is a Warre beekeeper, and Warre beekeeping is a system geared towards harvesting honey, natural comb or not. The hive inventor, Abbe Warre, ran hundreds of hives for the express purpose of producing honey in large volumes.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I always wonder if these people live in the modern World?

They do - but it's not a real one

 

[pargyle]

Old news (if you can call it news ....) VM had this nearly a week ago. Are you all suffering memory loss ?

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=27344

I'll say again ..

Well ... the Daily Snail never really lets facts get in the way of a good story.

I thnk the term 'Natural Beekeeping' attracts far too much emotion. I also think that there can be very few 'conventional beekeepers' who would not agree with the statement in the article that the majority of the bees problems are directly the result of mans interference in their natural existence.

There are also a lot of beekeepers of all flavours and persuasions who are practising styles of beekeeping that are based on low interference and using less and less chemical treatments. My father, in the post war years, would have been called a 'natural beekeeper' by those who seek to put labels on alternative styles of beekeeping ... he had bees which weren't treated, they were gentle, able to be handled with minimum PPE, he didn't feed them, preferring to leave them plenty of their own stores to overwinter and when they swarmed ... he collected the swarms and put them in a hive, he only went into the hives when he perceived there was a need. A return to this type of beekeeping would be nothing to hate in my estimation.

Whilst it was long before the onset of Varroa I see nothing wrong in practicing beekeeping in this way ... as long as it is done consciously and with some knowledge. The constant association with 'natural beekeeping' and those who neglect their bees has little basis in reality ... most of the people who take an alternative approach have just the same care for their bees as those who follow the conventions of what has become the 'norm' of British Beekeeping.

I am not on a crusade ... my view is do what YOU feel is right for YOUR bees .... whatever that may be.

 

[mbc]

"found himself appalled by the heartless practices of beekeeping and draconian chemical and mechanical responses to new threats such as the varroa mite"

Who is he talking about here ?

"he adopted a more compassionate approach, respecting the nature of the bee"

Again, more compassionate than who ? And is he suggesting most beekeepers dont respect the nature of the bee ?
IMHO he needs a good splash of self awareness before assuming he has a "balance of deep knowledge".

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

"IMHO he needs a good splash of self awareness before assuming he has a "balance of deep knowledge".

Failing that, a smart rap across the back of the head with a cricket bat - I find that does wonders for clearing the head of any wooliness

 

[user 6228]

They should bring back the death penalty for crimes against logic

 

[mbc]

Alternatively, 'they' could bring back logic for crimes against the death penalty.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I have merged this new thread started today with an existing one.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Woooah what happened there, looks like some kind of shift in the space/time continuum has dumped us in another thread!

 

[pargyle]

Woooah what happened there, looks like some kind of shift in the space/time continuum has dumped us in another thread!

That'll teach you to drop off in the middle of a potential argument !! It's the Forum equivalent of teletransportation ....

 

[mbc]

a potential argument !!

If only Jonathan would come on here to air his balance of deep knowledge then I'm sure an argument would ensue ( and we could rip him a new one !)

 

[pargyle]

If only Jonathan would come on here to air his balance of deep knowledge then I'm sure an argument would ensue ( and we could rip him a new one !)

Personally, I think either the bloke is an idiot or the reporter who took the story is one ... however, amongst all the garbage there are some things I can agree with ....

 

[mbc]

Personally, I think either the bloke is an idiot or the reporter who took the story is one ... however, amongst all the garbage there are some things I can agree with ....

I'm sure we can all agree with having respect and compassion for bees, its the insinuation that I dont that I have an issue with.

 

[pargyle]

I'm sure we can all agree with having respect and compassion for bees, its the insinuation that I dont that I have an issue with.

Precisely.... the blokes an idiot if he actually said or meant that ... there are very few beekeepers (as far as I can see) that don't care intensely for their bees ...and the treatment (or not) that they provide is always what they consider is in the bees best interests. This sort of inflammatory article really does not help the cause of the NBT. Hopefully, if he is an experienced beekeeper, then someone will encourage him to come and clarify his 'statement'.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Precisely.... the blokes an idiot if he actually said or meant that ... there are very few beekeepers (as far as I can see) that don't care intensely for their bees ...and the treatment (or not) that they provide is always what they consider is in the bees best interests. This sort of inflammatory article really does not help the cause of the NBT. Hopefully, if he is an experienced beekeeper, then someone will encourage him to come and clarify his 'statement'.

well having talked with my local Friends of the Earth recently they are all of the opinion thats we are like the American Beekeepers in "more than Honey", even I cringed at their uncapping methods in the film.

and like you i was taught as a child about beekeeping, me in shorts and a veil and grandfather with no veil and just his pipe full of Condor tobacco to pacify the bees, open up, well never, just split the brood and a half and looked for QC, syrup ,fondant, no...one super full under and ivy with a 1lb bag of damp sugar in February if light when hefted, but then the sun always shown and it always snowed at Christmas

 

[mbc]

, but then the sun always shown and it always snowed at Christmas

I remember that, weren't the maidens always so pretty too !