Problems in discussion

[Finman]

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The biggest problem in bee forum I see when very beginner asks something simple advice:

November: my 3 colonies died for varroa and I have 3 alive. What I do.
- Sugar dusting and drone culling

I have one 6 frame hive. Do I split is in spring into 3 nucs.
- Yes and you may raise your own queens. Go for it!

What ever a simple question and the hell may burst when ever. It is like mix oil and water.

There are many kind of styles to nurse and they are mixed all in one discussion chain after chain. Oxalic- top bar - release swarms to make ferals - evolution will help you if you life so long...

Just now when we look old forum. It is merely varroa nonsense, chain after chain. Just like there is nothing else to discuss. Varroa is visible creature and it is easy to discuss. Nosema is much more dangerous but very few want to talk about it. Most say that "you cannot say is it nosema or dysentry". BUT I have not seen a disease like dysentry. What is it?

Folks loose their hives in winter. It s difficult to remember what went wrong last summer or in autumn.

In my opinion Spring build up is he most important thing in successful beekeeping: When hive is ready to catch yield? The size of winter cluster is important in this issue =autumn brooding.

To me the most important thing is to go year around:
- change he queen to get good hive for next summer
- get a big cluster to go over winter without harms
- big cluster - early to forage surplus
- big cluster - be aware of swarming
- how to keep on laying for main yield.
- where to find good pastures for main yield, where carry hives

My opinion is that bees, what ever colour, will pick up nectar from flowers if pastures are good. How comfortable is to handle different bee races and strains, that is another question.

I am not sure how much beginners learn on forums. He must be very wise if he/she learns.

 

[Polyanwood]

I found two problems as a beginner in using a forum. First that you get many answers to the same question. Second that the tone of advice is not always respectful and is sometimes rude and patronising.

You ask advice and you might get 3 different answers and the posters don't make clear what is evidence based and what is experience based. It is hard to know what is best for your circumstances. This problem is made worse if you follow one line, as advised, and then other posters tell you that it is your own fault if it has not worked. As a beginner if you make a comment that clarifies your learning and other posters don't agree, you do not want people to jump down your throat.

Not all of us have had the benefit of a mentor who is reliable and consistent. Beginners should be allowed to ask questions, stupid or not, in the beginners area. I look forward to asking many more stupid and sensible questions.

 

[BKF Admin]

Last summer my mentor was away for 2 months so I asked questions on the forum,being keen I ran off to my hives to use the given advice only to find on my return someone posting NEVER do that!


We all no what forum we are moaning about and I feel the problem is that they want it to become a sterile newsgroup that has questions answered only by mods that toe the BBKA party line,they do not like any members that have more than 1 years experience because they can be challenged.

They love new beekepers because they dont no any better,but as they become more experienced and start to challenge the authority they get small change.

A forum needs to be independant of ties or posts start to get moved or deleted that go against the grain.

I no of one forum that is being very heavy moded this last week because a magazine company has made a donation so the staff want the forum sterilised.

I love talking about anything from beekeeping to things like gardening shooting smallholding electronics and many many more hobbies and hope that this forum can provide me with the reading I love,so posts will very often go off topic,does it matter? as long as the question gets answered I think thats the great thing about forums!

Regards moding,I have decided to mod the forum alone,that way we dont have any moditis breaking out,I am happy to run the server and software and leave users to manage themselves,I will only step in if we get an idiot member who is out to rock the boat rather than share beekeeping ideas.

The only time I will bang my admin stick is if a member makes a point to many times as it gets boring for other members to keep hearing the same drum banged to many times.

I will NEVER delete posts without sending the poster a pm first,just because the mod team does not agree with a post is NOT GROUNDS TO HIT THE DELETE BUTTON just so the owners get a nice sterile forum.

I have been running forums for years and am proud to say that I have never had to ban anyone yet!

Beginers often ask questions that have been answered a thousand times before but as new members they need to be helped to use the search function not scolded never to return.

Without new members a forum is soon dead,they are the most important part of a forum,not the mods.

As my old dad say's better to be a fool for 5 minutes than be a fool forever.

To be continued:

 

[Polyanwood]

hooray!!! good for you and good for us!

 

[Widdershins]

Fab!

 

[the naked beekeeper]

Last summer my mentor was away for 2 months so I asked questions on the forum,being keen I ran off to my hives to use the given advice only to find on my return someone posting NEVER do that!


We all no what forum we are moaning about and I feel the problem is that they want it to become a sterile newsgroup that has questions answered only by mods that toe the BBKA party line,they do not like any members that have more than 1 years experience because they can be challenged.

They love new beekepers because they dont no any better,but as they become more experienced and start to challenge the authority they get small change.

A forum needs to be independant of ties or posts start to get moved or deleted that go against the grain.

I no of one forum that is being very heavy moded this last week because a magazine company has made a donation so the staff want the forum sterilised.

I love talking about anything from beekeeping to things like gardening shooting smallholding electronics and many many more hobbies and hope that this forum can provide me with the reading I love,so posts will very often go off topic,does it matter? as long as the question gets answered I think thats the great thing about forums!

Regards moding,I have decided to mod the forum alone,that way we dont have any moditis breaking out,I am happy to run the server and software and leave users to manage themselves,I will only step in if we get an idiot member who is out to rock the boat rather than share beekeeping ideas.

The only time I will bang my admin stick is if a member makes a point to many times as it gets boring for other members to keep hearing the same drum banged to many times.

I will NEVER delete posts without sending the poster a pm first,just because the mod team does not agree with a post is NOT GROUNDS TO HIT THE DELETE BUTTON just so the owners get a nice sterile forum.

I have been running forums for years and am proud to say that I have never had to ban anyone yet!

Beginers often ask questions that have been answered a thousand times before but as new members they need to be helped to use the search function not scolded never to return.

Without new members a forum is soon dead,they are the most important part of a forum,not the mods.

As my old dad say's better to be a fool for 5 minutes than be a fool forever.

To be continued:

Good post and good sensible principles.

Discussion is organic. I think it's fighting humanity to try to keep a thread limited to one narrow band topic. Let the discussion flow. It's like water and will go where it needs to.

 

[iombeeman]

forums

thats the way all forums should be run

 

[Brosville]

I'm a newbie to beekeeping, but am used to forums, so I do know where the search button is - it is very usual for newbies to ask the same questions, year after year - an exhortation to "please read the faqs, stickies, and make a search first" can be of some help, but if you're not that used to the 'net forums can be confuddling places, so tolerance on both sides is required.
I'm all for a gentle hand in moderating, and I think that a "broadness" of discussions save them from becoming sterile, and ultimately boring for everyone.
I think you've got the basics right - it deserves to do well, I certainly wish it well!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Really good comments Brosville,i hope it goes well,as well.

 

[BKF Admin]

Thanks Brosville,trying times but I think the members are getting the balance right.

Winter is about the worst time to be starting a beekeeping forum as the advice is not really needed as much as the spring/summer time.

I think we will grow fast next year.

Its just nice to get away from the politics and shananagens that many of us have been subjected to of late.

 

[Poly Hive]

I am primarily here to aid beginners and to that end am willing to write out some management plans which may or may not suit you the individual but they are matters that I know worked. and produced me many tons of honey.

PH

 

[Finman]

I am primarily here to aid beginners and to that end am willing to write out some management plans which may or may not suit you the individual but they are matters that I know worked. and produced me many tons of honey.

PH

That is a clear goal and very demanding task. It takes many years to learn.

If you think that "moral" or "attitude" is the most importat, you are a master before you have first hive.
To teach to 60 years old fart "attitudes", you get me a pal

I have noticed at home that my style compared to his style is very different. However we get almost same yields. The secret is that the pastures have certain amount (same) of honey which certain size (same) of hives catch.

I have noticed too that however good knowledge I get from internet, my yield remains same. My knowledge does not add nectar amount in flowers.

That is reason why you get good yield with poor knowledge and the rest of knowledge is just knowing.

*****************

I have devided tricks in some cathegories:
1) They bring more nectar into hive
2) they do not add nectar flow into hive
3) makes nursing easier
4) nice to know
5) save nature, beekind, mankind, globe, collapse big firms, return 200 years back, invent old wheel "but I did it my way", get friends, make talks, say what others want to hear.

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[grizzly]

I was going to suggest the other day, it might be nice for those who have oodles of experience to perhaps write their methods in a "Theory and Practical" type folder or menu.

Particularly as its blatantly obvious when reading the large number of beekeeping books, while it gives you a good base knowledge, the advice therin is out of sync with our modern climate and in some cases the modern bee.

Even though i have read about requeening and splitting to make increase for example, i know for a fact before i do it next spring i will still ask you all what is the best way to do it, and what works best for you. moreoften than not it simply comes down to reasurrance.

 

[Finman]

IEven though i have read about requeening and splitting to make increase for example,

Splitting is very simple, but in forum discuss?on it is mere chaos what I have seen. And rearing your own queens in your small nuc - a bigger chaos....

When you wait that wintered hive grow normal, it get normal honey yield. After main yield you may devide a big hive into 2 normal hive.

In spring when you devide your weak hives, it will ruin your whole spring build up... and here begins the war, who is right.

OK, if you sell nucs, yuo put a good hive into 3 pieces and queens inside, but it is another question.

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