Beekeeper Rant for December

[BjornBee]

I know several beekeepers here have enjoyed past beekeeper rants that I have posted to my website. Here is the latest long winded rambling for December 2012: http://www.bjornapiaries.com/beekramblings201112.html

Hope you enjoy.

[BlueBee]

Nicely done BjornBee.  It seems like most of the bees survived the last mild winter in Michigan and there was a lot of swarming here last spring.  One of the big local commercial guys got flooded out and people in the surrounding cities thought his bees were flying into their cities like locusts from biblical times.  Some people were really freaking out!  The truth is the clouds of bees in my little city were from feral hives that survived the winter in trees; not from a bee keeper 10 miles away.  However people put the blame on the bee keeper. 

Not to get too political in this section of the forum, but it’s the darn local governments which cause me a lot more grief than the feds.  They truly think they can do anything they want and are immune from State law.

I got a laugh out of the proposal for formal bee training.   Like whom is going to train the newbees?  We all know, you ask 10 beeks the same question and you get 10 different responses.  Which one of the 10 beeks is the City Council going to pick

[sawdstmakr]

This is why FL does not allow local governments to enact laws about beekeeping.
Jim

[2tall]

I think those pushing the training may think they can get paid to do some of the training.
The mentor system works , plus nobody knows it all.

[rbinhood]

"Some day beekeeper may become serious about breeding a better bee. Some day, the bee industry may actually become solidified against the chemicals that are impacting the honey bee. Some day, beekeepers may become more involved than waiting for the next "pill in a bottle” dream of dealing with problems. Some day, beekeeper may wake up and realize those that they have been following, have taken them down the same path time and time again with the same results."

Question is, when will we all be able to all agree on anything. 

[BlueBee]

If not on 12-12-12, then probably Never  

[BjornBee]

Who said to move forward as an industry, as a group, as a country, or anything else...that we all need to agree?

If that is the bar, we all will always fail.

Sometimes the 99%, while being fragmented, will be run over by the 1% who is organized for one single agenda item.

Having the 99% then all complain or suggest that nobody can agree, so let's all stand around and let the 1% dictate everything, is of course the norm. Yes....we all are the 99%. Not much to brag about is it?

[S.Rummings]

I think those pushing the training may think they can get paid to do some of the training.

That, and they probably expect to be "grandfathered". I'll bet they would be singing a different tune if the training was required for everyone. Sounds like a way to push the problem off to new beekeepers, create another barrier to entry, protect their established business, and maybe pick up some additional consulting income. The worst part is that it does nothing to fix the problem that is trying to be addressed. Unfortunately, feel-good legislation to appease the ignorant masses is all to common and rarely helps. Thinking education will prevent swarms is like thinking a criminal would never dare take a gun in to a gun-free zone.

[oliver]

Actually never considered swarming a major problem, until last spring when a swarm landed at the high school, and was treated like a hazardous chemical spill. Exterminator called in from 30 mi away, problem solved. They would not let my grandson call me, heard all this after the fact..Probably  all up there would agree that training would be a good idea, at least get all the pest control  people on posti notes or speed dial..dl