posible hedgerow pete on watch dog??

[hedgerow pete]

as ever, the council i am under sends over loads of bee swarm callers each year, so far i have had 40+ calls ending up with bumble bees.

it still amazes me how stupid people are in brum and i am sure its the same every where , if it flys it must be a bee

but any way .

where does everyone else stand with this ethical problem

I charge £25 to collect and remove a honey bee swarm, more for cut outs and the more hard to get ones, but since i have no use for or need for bumble bees i dont, i just turn up look , laugh and sod off again.

the latest one last night ticked all the honey bee swarm questions so when i went out it was a bumble bee nest in the loft and and a mad women. now i dont charge i just leave. but if i start to charge a call out fee to cover the petrol i am now wasting but do no work to earn it as it were, where do i stand?

i can see a story line on watch dog about rip off bee keepers and i realy could do with out matt chasing me down the road on his motor bike!!

I must admit i have charge a couple of old dears a pound so i can buy a new can of fly spray, as one of my bumble bee removel tricks is to selotape down the spray button and to throw it across the loft to where they are building there nests to kill them off.

 

[PaleoPerson]

I charge generally £10-£15 for a call out to cover fuel costs whether I do anything or not. I make this clear to the people when they call.

If you look in the latest BBKA mag the article about the Tree Bumblebee it makes an interesting read.

I believe that this critter will result in far more call outs to bumbles due to its propensity to nest at height, frequently in old birds nests.

Last week I had one at gutter level on a two storey house and another in a bird box. Both are still in place both both owners were glad of the re-assurance.

I am thinking of getting together a Bumble leaflet that I can leave with these people when I get called out explaining about them.

 

[Widdershins]

Oh, I am disappointed that you kill off Bumblebees

We charge for bumble bee removals - £30 minimum. We re-home them too (Bumbles, not mad people reporting wasps/killer bees!!). We DO however, aim to educate the 'owner' of the bumbles, and try and get them to keep them and leave well alone.

PP - thats a fantastic idea with regards to a leaflet, might nick it!

 

[Chris Luck]

Perhaps a watchdog program about bee keepers that kill bees?

Chris

 

[viridens]

I Are you asking your 'swarm callers' the right questions before you set out? Time on the phone is time well spent.

I find that even the average Mr & Mrs Joe Public (and its usually Mrs) can tell the difference between a lump of bees that have recently arrived and 'a one every thirty seconds' dribble of bees going in and out of a hole somewhere. I can't remember the last time I went out to a 'bumble swarm'. I occasionally go out to visit bumble callers if there is a special reason, but when and if I choose. Reassuring advice is usually enough.

I have never yet needed (& wouldn't) destroy a bumble nest, although I have moved a few to new locations after dark.

I don't charge for swarm collections. Swarms have a monetary value in honey potential, and a large goodwill value if given to help out other keepers. Am I wrong?

 

[Chris Luck]

I don't charge for swarm collections. Swarms have a monetary value in honey potential, and a large goodwill value if given to help out other keepers. Am I wrong?

No, you are spot on, it go's with the territory in my opinion. If someone want's to make gesture and give me something towards my fuel that's great and I'm thankful for it.

Chris

 

[viridens]

....I must admit i have charge a couple of old dears a pound so i can buy a new can of fly spray, as one of my bumble bee removel tricks is to selotape down the spray button and to throw it across the loft to where they are building there nests to kill them off.

Am I right in thinking that poisoning these bees is illegal?
The above statement looks like a confession of guilt to me (bang to rights guv!).

-Forget Watchdog, see you on police 5!

 

[Daisy]

Bumblebee information leaflets are available from The Bumblebee Conservation Trust. They will send you some if you ask them.

 

[Polyanwood]

I rehome bumble bees for free too. This time I got given a potted plant, chocolates and wine for my troubles. I don't think it is illegal killing bumble bees, but it is certainly wrong. I am surprised beekeepers would do it.

Wasps, on the other hand I have more mixed feelings about. I wouldn't kill them for no reason, but if they were bothering my bees I would destroy them.

 

[Poly Hive]

I persuade the "owners" to leave their bumbles alone.

I explain they are very reluctant to sting get to not very large numbers, and die off anyway in the Autumn. That is usually enough to persuade them to leave them alone.

I also do charge for going to swarms as it damn well costs me time and fuel both of which have a price. Not to mention the ownership of the kit and the knowledge plus the experience.

PH

 

[psafloyd]

Now i dont charge i just leave. but if i start to charge a call out fee to cover the petrol i am now wasting but do no work to earn it as it were, where do i stand?

Many professionals (I use this word in its loosest sense) charge call out fees whether they do the work or not. Some now call it a 'diagnosis fee' so if you don't do the work, their time is still covered.

As long as you get the people to agree to that, I don't see you'll have a problem.

 

[hedgerow pete]

Am I right in thinking that poisoning these bees is illegal?
The above statement looks like a confession of guilt to me (bang to rights guv!).

since when??. they are not classed as endangered nor rare?

as for asking the right questions . belive me theres a lot to ask and answer before i leave the house to come to you.

the one that does cause massive arguments on the phone is when they call me, i point out that i have nothing to do with the council and as such i charge, most people think that because they got your number from the council you must be a council employee and as such every thiing is free. i have had people shouting there benifit numbers at me to prove they cant pay and i had a lady earlier this year try to set the dog on me even tho she knew very well that she was going to be charged £25.

What brought the question one was last night i went to someones house to look at the thousands of bees going in and out of the shed, i thought it was promising enough to go there.

when i did get there i found that she keeps sugar and flour stores in the shed and the bees were pinching the sugar!!

any way when i brought up the subject of money she went mental on me, threating to call the council trading standards etc etc etc, in the end she did atualy call the police!!

i sat in the car and waited for them to arrive, delt with them and went home, well concerned!!

and thats why i sort guidence from the sages about were we stand with charging to do nothing ?

me thinks i will start to consider the idea of panning the whole swarm collecting thing in as its starting to get a bit to far out of hand with the mad brummies i have to deal with

 

[hedgerow pete]

so as you can see by trying to charge for call outs , all i get is even more agro than normal

 

[Headnavigator]

Wasps, on the other hand I have more mixed feelings about. I wouldn't kill them for no reason, but if they were bothering my bees I would destroy them.

Interesting to me that wasps seem to differ in temperament as much as bees. Found a large newly deserted wasps nest in our hedge last Autumn right by a much-frequented public footpath and our front entrance - and we never even knew it was there.

 

[victor meldrew]

I Are you asking your 'swarm callers' the right questions before you set out? Time on the phone is time well spent.

I find that even the average Mr & Mrs Joe Public (and its usually Mrs) can tell the difference between a lump of bees that have recently arrived and 'a one every thirty seconds' dribble of bees going in and out of a hole somewhere. I can't remember the last time I went out to a 'bumble swarm'. I occasionally go out to visit bumble callers if there is a special reason, but when and if I choose. Reassuring advice is usually enough.

I have never yet needed (& wouldn't) destroy a bumble nest, although I have moved a few to new locations after dark.

I don't charge for swarm collections. Swarms have a monetary value in honey potential, and a large goodwill value if given to help out other keepers. Am I wrong?

After a lengthy Q & A session on the phone I arrived at this address ! Irate guy waiting . "The swarm is under that pyrecantha bush , I know it's a swarm ( I had suggested foraging bees) there are none on any of the other pyrecanthas around the garden . "I want it moving now!!!!".

Granted there were a lot of bees on the bush Honey, bumbles hoverflies etc.
"They are foraging bees said I". "They are a damned swarm, I have kids and I don't want them stung, you had better shift them sooner than now!!!!!"
"Right young man ! Number one, the Pyracantha with the bees is a coneaster,the remainder are Pyracantha ! Two, these are definitely foraging bees plus the odd wasp !, He interjected saying "I was trying to stain my fence and they went mad" ,"Not surprised" said I.
I then said ," I was about to ask if you had any bubble wrap or a sheet of anything I could wrap around the bush ,pull it away from the fence and weight it down with bricks , instead I'm going to leave you with it and the best of luck "
My parting shot was ,"It's been your lucky day! you could have spoken to a beekeeper 20 years younger than I in that manner and found yourself spread eagled in the bush, bees and all".

John Wilkinson

 

[hedgerow pete]

i think its in the water, this arguement juice. everyone seems to be on it. i have just had my boss ranting at me, this morning.

two people i was mentoring called me last night to tell me thay have read a book and i am doing it wrong!! so they have gone off hand in hand with there new found book to live happily ever after. and i have just had another lady on the phone demanding that as a council worker ( me not her) i should immediatly come around to her house to deal with her bee infestation!!


as for johns story, i know the correct thing to do is to walk a way but some days the knuckles still tighten up and the shoulder goes back, before i do walk away

 

[hedgerow pete]

headnavigator dont get me started on wasps , i have been walking around the allotment for a month trying to find where there is one, i have tried every thing to follow the wasps back, but the swines keep leading me on a merry chase

 

[Chris Luck]

Sure, we all get the people that are stroppy, (just look at this forum), and we all get the people that don't know about different bees and their behaviour, and why should they? (once again look at this forum).

The answer is very simple, if you don't want to be called out and perhaps help people, even add to peoples general knowledge, don't give you details out. Or if you are business then print your terms and conditions.

Perhaps I should add that here in France you would have to be properly registered to kill bees, wasps etc and charge money for it AND provide an invoice.

Chris

 

[victor meldrew]

headnavigator dont get me started on wasps , i have been walking around the allotment for a month trying to find where there is one, i have tried every thing to follow the wasps back, but the swines keep leading me on a merry chase

Have heard, never tried . flinging a little flour over them as they try to enter a hive , when you have dusted enough , start to take note of the general direction they leave, follow and the story goes, they will leave a dusting of flour around the entrance hole of their nest !

John Wilkinson

 

[justme]

I Are you asking your 'swarm callers' the right questions before you set out? Time on the phone is time well spent.

I find that even the average Mr & Mrs Joe Public (and its usually Mrs) can tell the difference between a lump of bees that have recently arrived and 'a one every thirty seconds' dribble of bees going in and out of a hole somewhere. I can't remember the last time I went out to a 'bumble swarm'. I occasionally go out to visit bumble callers if there is a special reason, but when and if I choose. Reassuring advice is usually enough.

I have never yet needed (& wouldn't) destroy a bumble nest, although I have moved a few to new locations after dark.

I don't charge for swarm collections. Swarms have a monetary value in honey potential, and a large goodwill value if given to help out other keepers. Am I wrong?

No, not wrong, I agree with you and the next post by Chris. (Havent got any further on this thread yet