Why say NO to doing a course?

[Poly Hive]

To answer winkers complaint.

There ARE several different ways of doing things. The main trick is to think now which do I have the right kit to attempt and go that route.

If you mix and match methods then of course trouble lies ahead.

As for a course run by different people then yes you will get different opinions.

I put forward on here tricks and tips that I know work out the tin. What individuals choose to do with them is beyond my control.

PH

 

[ladyrose1956]

why join associations

I have tried and tried to join a local association but with no luck i have been on a course not bad but not good for the money i paid i have all the books and a laptop full of information so when i open my hives i can see what i am looking for by using me refrence books plus i found a lot of the old boys club in some of the assiciations so at the moment i am an independant on my own and i am doing ok all hives in full production

 

[rae]

Whatever the subject, a course full of beginners is (in my experience) largely pointless. You have material that has to be learnt, and that material is written down in books and/or course notes. You don't need someone to read this for you, you're better off reading it yourself. On the other side, when you sit in a room of very experienced people who can pull the material to pieces and illustrate with examples, that is when class room learning comes alive.

I also have no desire to achieve qualifications. If I can do something, fine, but getting a piece of paper gives no pleasure at all.

 

[tidymeup]

Courses are not my thing at all, I have contacted the bbka on several occasions and asked how they can help people with learning disabilities and have not got a reply.

I have learnt beekeeping like I learn most things and that is by learning from a couple of beekeepers with some 20 years experience.

 

[huntsman666]

Doing a beekeeping course at any level has great value.

Not only will you make friends and contacts in your own area but you will be told about modern disease/pest management.

Doing the course encourages the student to buy books they would never consider buying. For example I have Yates and Dade, required reading for the intermediate exams.

However I will agree that beekeeping for most of us is a hobby and 'qualifications' while kind'a nice are less important than the knowledge gained.

But I find it funny how it's always those with no qualifications who believe qualifications are of no value.

The more you learn, the more enjoyable and better will be your beekeeping hobby.

 

[Luminos]

I have a similar experience to LadyRose1956.

I asked four or five different beekeepers over a long period of time, for guidance with starting to keep bees, including one who was doing an introductory beekeeping course, which I was attending.
It seemed to be very "closed shop" and I got no help or advice. They were either downright rude, or at best offhand.
I assume it's because I am not French. I would be interested in how other beekeepers living in France started. Or perhaps they were already beekeepers prior to living in France.

It took me 4 years to a beekeeper at last. The contributors to this forum seem to be knowledgable and willing to help new members which is very refreshing. I for one have learned an enormous amount.
I will never ask a French beekeeper for help.

 

[victor meldrew]

I've made mistakes - starved a colony by using the wrong feeder, mis-made a Brood Box while trying to follow Th@rnes' poor instructions (!) and been stung a few times. I struggle to find the queen and my busy life means I sometimes struggle to fit in inspections as necessary to avoid swarming. But my bees are doing well and healthy so hopefully I'm getting there! R2

Fine business but don't you agree the application of brakes whilst gaining knowledge before hand would have avoided the starvation of bees? they are living creatures after all .
You wouldn't consider obtaining a puppy and only realising it required feeding at the point of death!
Somehow bees in a box out of sight and sound ,don't qualify for the concerns that higher forms of life would have !
My opinion is learn, learn learn before committing your tender if inept handling on any life form !
After all, beekeeping is (hopefully)a life long pursuit , surely patience can be exercised until one is proficient enough to embark on such a journey ?(yes it is a journey )with seemingly a new challenge faced daily .
One should never stop learning .

BBKA!
I make no claim that membership of the bbka guarantees the advice at local level is infallible !It just so happens that it has the facilities to organise lessons/ courses ,usually with an assoc apiary for hands on demonstration purposes.
Education is the prime thrust of my argument not the provider of it.

John Wilkinson

 

[Winker]

To answer winkers complaint.

There ARE several different ways of doing things. The main trick is to think now which do I have the right kit to attempt and go that route.

If you mix and match methods then of course trouble lies ahead.

As for a course run by different people then yes you will get different opinions.

I put forward on here tricks and tips that I know work out the tin. What individuals choose to do with them is beyond my control.

PH

I agree PH "There ARE several different ways of doing things". But Beekeeping can be a large learning curve for the Noob.

KISS

Keep
It
Short and
Simple

Remember your target audience…Noobs

When you pay you be educated on one of these courses, you expect the information given out to be consistent and at a level that will not confuse the Noob.

Don't get me wrong, I found the course a great help and I am thankful to the people who came along and shared their experience with us.

But I have seen the results from those who didn’t quite get what was being told to them, as it. The biggest mistakes were made by people getting confused with taking a Nuc from a hive and doing an AS. They thought they had to take the frame the queen was on, put it in a new BB, put in an extra frame of Brood and 2 frames of stores, place it back on the same spot as the original hive and place any supers back on top.

These people were reading from their notes. Now had they read their books too, that may have changed the way they did things.

But never the less they got confused as the person who did the talk on AS also went into making Nucs from a hive as another way of stopping the Bees from Swarming. Too much information to the Noob can be dangerous. KISS

As for your tips and hints you post here. I read most of your post with great interest, I appreciate your willingness to share your wealth of knowledge and working experience, with us of lesser experience. Your guidance to others has helped me to no end. I have a few of your "How too" topics saved as files for latter reference. Its because of people like you I am able to advance my understanding bees.

 

[Peterwh]

Doing a beekeeping course at any level has great value.

But I find it funny how it's always those with no qualifications who believe qualifications are of no value.

Or maybe it's those who believe qualifications are of no value that have no qualifications!

 

[huntsman666]

Six of one - half a dozen of the other!

 

[Poly Hive]

Thanks winker.

I just can't see the point in others making the mistakes I made early on when it is relatively simple to avoid them.

The fun part of course is sorting out the mess resulting from a mistake.

PH

 

[Chris Luck]

The problems or should I say difficulties Luminos in France are:

1. Brits are often not really welcome here. The view in many parts of France is that there are too many of us and it would be better if we stayed in the UK and just sent our money.

2. You would probably need to join an Association or Co-operative for bee keeping if there is one in your area. Here you may be treated like an *****, (you are a Brit), and often left out.

3. Asking a French person to help you is rarely a good move, trouble is they rarely offer - catch 22.

4. Unless you speak near perfect French you will always be a nuisance.

Sweeping generalisations I know, but not far wide of the mark in general, but you could try offering them loads of money - that may do the trick.

Chris

 

[VEG]

Couldn't have put it better myself

Also time is a big consideration (work shifts so could only attend once a fortnight at best).

Not so long ago there were no courses but people learned from experienced beeks they knew. Now, with the wealth of info available on the net, books and forums like this one we are no longer completely on our own.

This is my second year, no bee education and no mentor, just me on my lonely lonesome. I've asked silly newb questions and had concerns over petty things but in all I'd say I've done pretty well on my own.

Thanks to everyone on here who takes time to advise btw

I seem to remember you attending practical lessons at the association apiary so not all done on your lonesome.

 

[trapperman]

If i had the choice between a 18 year old kid straight from agricultural collage with all his bits of paper, or a 70 year old farmer with no certificates whos been farming for years, to plough my land i know who i would pick.

What i`m trying to say is a certificate/qualification means nothing if your just not the right type of person for the job, i`ve met a couple of people who have done their bee courses and they havent got a clue, i`ve still got a long way to go before i can call myself an experienced beekeeper but i was suprised by their complete lack of basic knowledge.

I keep sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, geese and varoius other pets and have never done a course for any of them, i get any information i need from books or the internet, i`m not knocking courses at all but i think if your a practical sort of person with common sense then you should get on fine off your own back.

It seems you cant even fart these days without a certificate..

 

[Poly Hive]

The tender point here is "common sense" which in reality is incredibly scarce.

PH

 

[psafloyd]

It's all very well for people to pooh pooh courses, but I am surprised they are not a prerequisite for access to insurance, particularly through BBKA.

I have yet to do my basic, but I shall, especially as I shan't be paying for it now. But even so, I wanted to do it this year and was advised to wait for next year.

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Similar at work, Spotted someone's pay packet the other week (only external not internal) and as an "official" document it had them listed as a Dr !!!

Very clever person, but zero coordination, common sense or practicalities.

 

[psafloyd]

But if you are new, how do you know you've got the right mentor?

I met three new beeks yesterday who know they have NOT got the best mentor as he is dogmatic and won't listen their questions.

 

[region2]

If i had the choice between a 18 year old kid straight from agricultural collage with all his bits of paper, or a 70 year old farmer with no certificates whos been farming for years, to plough my land i know who i would pick.

I think what is being said is that beeginners should be encouraged to do courses. Beekeeping has changed a lot in the last 50 years so your 70 year old varmer analogy doesn't work.

I agree about insurance - there should be some financial incentive to encourage beginners to get a qual or two!

R2

 

[susbees]

Somehow bees in a box out of sight and sound ,don't qualify for the concerns that higher forms of life would have !

You kidding? Am I the only one who lies awake listening to the rain and vowing to put a few pints on the only three colonies not being fed as soon as possible? The only one who's driving up to a moor tomorrow to check mating nuc feeders and worrying about whether it should have been today when the group agreed next Friday would be fine (several hundred years beekeeping experience)?