Polls on the forum at the moment please read.

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Poly Hive

Queen Bee
Joined
Dec 4, 2008
Messages
14,093
Reaction score
393
Location
Scottish Borders
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
12 and 18 Nucs
There is a very sound reason for the polling that is ongoing at the moment and it would be hugely appreciated if as many as possible take part please.

The reason cannot be discussed just yet but all will become clear as the polling information is one of the foundation stones of this project.

Everyone's time is precious, and some give here quite a lot of it. In return a little effort from the readership is requested.

Happy beekeeping

PH
 
There is a very sound reason for the polling that is ongoing at the moment and it would be hugely appreciated if as many as possible take part please.

The reason cannot be discussed just yet but all will become clear as the polling information is one of the foundation stones of this project.

Everyone's time is precious, and some give here quite a lot of it. In return a little effort from the readership is requested.

Happy beekeeping

PH

PH,

is it only vandalism, theft, and value polls at the moment, or have I missed some?

Cheers
Mark
 
Hi Marcros, There are also the number of colonies and the number of apiary sites...
So total five polls.

Thanks, Roche
 
this project.

wot project? :) no idea why I am smiling, really...

that aside, I did ask for 'poll' group a while ago - admin you should shift all the forums polls into here!

Jez
 
A poll what where how do I vote what are we polling about?
 
What if I get there late, and can't vote by 10 pm - will I be disenfranchised?
 
Have you been on your Hols?
I wish. No we have just had the kitchen revamped. Thank heavens its now finished.
 
It's all very hush hush.
DD knows but he's too diplomatic to say anything.

Perhaps it is for "market research" purposes?
 
Sorry to be a nit picker, but as has been said before designing a poll is like designing questionnaires - it is very difficult. The usual faults are making the questions ambiguous and the other is slanting the questions to reflect the views of the question setter.

For example:

Less than in the spring. OK, pretty clear - have you more colonies than you did in spring but what if I bought colonies this year - should these be included?
What I started with. See below:
More than I started. Started with when? Before I started beekeeping I had none. I assume it means more than I had in the Spring or for the previous question the same as in the Spring but if so why not word like the first question? i.e. less than, same as, more than in the spring (not counting colonies purchased/acquired or disposed of during the season.
More than I will ever need. How does this square with the third question? It seems to be addressing a different topic, not about dwindling colonies or otherwise but how many colonies the beekeeper needs. However, someone may now have more than they started with in the Spring (3rd Q tick) and it is more than they need (4th Q tick). But they can't tick two choices can they?

So there we are, if you want people to take part in polls word them with greater clarity. I suggest future pollsters send their suggested questions to someone they respect here on the forum and ask them for their opinions and suggestions. Preferably more than one person as all good questionnaires are always tried out on sample audiences first to iron out ambiguities etc.

Or of course these polls could be some sort of subtle personality test...in which case put me down as an INTP.
 
Perhaps there should be an emergency meeting to form a committee who can appoint another committee who can review and amend each poll before its posted
 
I'm with rooftops. This latest poll is flawed from the start. But, hey ho, keeps someone happy.

The flaw? Don't compare two different times of the year. Winter losses are made up. Think about it. Most people will have the same or more colonies now than they will by next spring for instance. Very few will have less now than next spring. This is simply a natural progression.

I just happen to be pretty well at the same level (and perhaps because I didn't lose any colonies through last winter).

Examples:Think about the beek with 4 hives and has 50% losses over winter but still has two colonies in spring (for the mathematically challenged, that means they went into winter with four colonies). By now he/she would be back at four if they were a sensible beekeeeper or had other reasons to change the colony number.

Think beeks that sell, say, a hundred colonies in a year as nucs. OK not many around, but there are a lot that sell a few.

Think those that run around the 300 mark. Saying they are up because they now have two more colonies is sheer twaddle.

I would expect the results shown but would not draw any sensible conclusions from it
 
Possibly the author of the latest poll just wanted to get a general impression of the type of year other beekeepers had had.

Perhaps may of the polls are just intended as general conversation starters to gain a bit of thought/insight from other beekeepers.

Possibly the starters of at least some of the polls aren't particularly worried about scientific accuracy, statistical validity and the like.

Possibly the starters of at least some of the polls aren't so far up themselves that they don't think they know it all and think that there is at least a chance that they may achieve everything they want from their poll without some pompous arse thinking they know better.

Possibly a mistake......
 
The only possible flaw I could see in the up/down poll, whilst wearing my pedant's hat, was that it should have been 'fewer [hives] than in the Spring', rather than 'less'. :eek: This is because fewer is used alongside plurals, less is with singular nouns or with numbers. (More info here)

I thought everything else was self-explanatory, and an interesting and easy way of seeing how everybody got on this year.
 

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