Great job David! Your 100% right! that is why I really like Hive Life, hobbyist, commercial, Sideliner, or someone who doesn’t even own bees and just wants to learn and become a beekeeper this spring is welcomed. Great job David explaining! Take care!
Very good points David. I once attended a “natural beekeeping seminar. “And was taken back by the animosity towards commercial beekeeping practices. I even commented about some of the same things you brought up. And how we can lean from them in our own hobby beekeeping practices. I believe we can learn from everyone. Thanks the world is to polarized
This is great, Dave. We are all in this together and appreciate you making room at the table for candid conversations and a cup of coffee too! Well done!
I’m happy with my 10-25 colonies after 5 years. Thankful for the local club that has been very helpful. I am volunteering as a way to say Thank you. Those who have 200+ colonies and decades in beekeeping are kind in their comments when new bees come aboard.
I have experienced both. The Bee club I belong to really focuses on the new Beekeeper. They work at education for the NewBee in the hopes they won't give up. However, with that said, I have come across some uppity not nice Beekeepers. They spoke down to me and made me feel like I was some sort of competition. Thankfully in 6 years that has only happened on a few occasions.
Here in central Iowa, we have a great relationship among the three groups. The Iowa Honey Producers president and a few other well known commercial guys got together and made a facebook group where every type of member can post wins and losses, asking honest questions and getting respectful responses. I'm a tier 3 guy looking to move into tier 2 over the next couple years and I love the conduit of information always available to me.
Brave topic, and you handled it wonderfully. Tough subject whenever we have to deal with our own attitude/issues....we've all got them ! Just hard to tame that tongue! I love watching and learning from commercial bee keepers and I have no intention of having more than 7 or 8 hives. I figure the commercial guys know the bees and what it takes to keeping them healthy, growing bees, and producing honey. I get the most enjoyment of bee keeping from the backyard guys...they've got freedom to study and experiment, which gives me the confidence to make decisions that suit MY bee yard. THNX so much for this video David, it means a lot!
David's rambling - conversational videos are the best! I'm only joking about the rambling, your technical videos are brilliant - I've learnt a great deal from them. I like how you always keep an open mind in your approach to the science and new literature.
I feel every one of us is important. If at all possible, all families should have at least one beehive. I only have one hive and this Spring will be one year that I have had mine. I have learned a lot from the experienced bee keeper. It is winter now and thankfully my babies are still alive from the cold weather we had Below Zero. I feel they wouldn’t have been alive if I wouldn’t have watched videos of how to. Thanks again
You are spot on! My husband is a lifetime farmer...now retired. I am beginning to bee keep. I hear the comments you are addressing both in bee keeping and in farming. I admire your desire to address this issue. I fear today's culture has destroyed any hope of changed attitudes towards others, no matter what the issue.
Interesting subject. Here in NW MN, there are a number of very large commercial beekeepers, and a mix of all the rest. I haven't witnessed any friction, everyone seems to have the same feelings as you do, David, and understand we're all on the same team. It is also interesting to look at the time/scope of a beekeeper, something I've run headlong into myself: I'm at 50/50 with my time on the job vs beekeeping. I can't grow the bee activity any further without negatively impacting my job. Some day I'll make the transition to beekeeping being the job and my current job will be a sideliner. We can dream can't we?
David, I have a question presently I have serval Langstroth hives but I acquired two Warre hives to add to the yard my question is can I make splits from langstroth to warre if so how. Because They are different frames configurations.
Great discussion and perspective as always David!! Absolutely great video! Its hard to keep an open mind on so many of the issues that we are working on with keeping bees at all levels. An open mind is the right answer. I wish I could keep bees "full time" and run more hives, but we all are doing what we want to do and can do like you said. I think I have learned a lot over the years (usually through mistakes!), but certainly have so much more to learn and the bees will keep us all on our toes no matter how much we think we know. Discounting what others learn and pick up from research or working their bees is probably a mistake. Again, great video with great points! We all appreciate the great content!
Thank you Conlon, well said. It's about balancing life, doing what matters most and not becoming obsessed with one thing or becoming a workaholic and living under a tremendous amount of stress. Stress is probably the leading cause of various health issues.
I think commercial beeks have some good practices to stream line operation. I don't like their approach of removing all honey and replacing with sugar, since I manage for swarming and pollination, not for honey production. It's also less work for me. But treating for diseases is a must IMO. I learned a lot from you and Bob Binnie website, DirtRooster and Mr. Ed are just pure entertainment, haha. A source of knowledge can come from different sources.
I’m a hobbyist as of right now 8 colonies but working on being a sideline beekeeping with 100 colonies or so. But I don’t see myself ever become commercial beekeeper because from what I’m seeing most commercial beakers are minimalist and I can’t do that to my bees. I’m a big believer in ratchet straps and insulating hives over the winter and cant afford do that with 300 colonies. Thanks for the share and thank you for your online beekeeping course. Second year beekeeper and still no deadouts 👍🏻🐝 I’m all about keeping bees alive!!!
Yes I am also a hobbyist I guess. Lol I talk to my bees. It breaks my heart when I see even one of them dead. I am big on insulating for winter also and making sure they have a good start in the spring with sugar water and other minerals that I put in the water But I will never take all their honey. I’ll give them the winter patties in the winter but I try not to open their hive when it is cold. I am considered a hobbyist because I only have one hive so far but I spend a lot more time than 10% on my hive. I farm and give my bees at least 50% of my time. I have bought a extractor and other numerous equipment for my one hive.I am so happy that my bees survived below zero weather which is unusual for where I live in Arkansas. David, thank you so much for all the videos that you share and I wanna thank other people for their videos also that I watch and learn. Christopher good luck with your bees. Oh, I do use mite protection in my hives also.
In every industry there are snobs, know-it-alls and obnoxious personalities. I just retired from 36 years in commercial banking and dealt with such people regularly. As a beekeeping hobbiest with four hives here in North Carolina, I have yet to run into such personalities. Conversely, I have found people to be very helpful and friendly. What I had found in my professional life is the formation of cliques in trade organizations that become somewhat of a closed club. They take turns as officers and speakers. This is common from bowling leagues to church organizations. The beauty of the internet is that we can learn from people all over the world and avoid the trade organization politics and toxic personalities. Wish I knew about the Hive Life conference Hope to attend next time.
Love the neon sign! Same thing my honey label says Truly Lucky Farms Life is Sweet! Love your channel, very informative with a broad focus that keeps the entertainment value up. Keep up the good work
This is how I look at this Dave. I look to the 'space race'. What is in our modern life that is not in use in our daily lives today? Not much really. Our cell phones, computers, circuitry in our everyday appliances, heck my new pickup has so much in it. What the commercial guys do eventually trickles down to the hobbyist. The same could be said for the other way around. Your chart on the 80-10-10 percentages reminds me of what I learned in fish management college course, 90% of the fish are caught by 10% of the fishermen....not far off really. There is the same overlap all of the beekeepers have for the commercial/sideliners/commercial and that is the bees. The bees should be bringing all of us together.
Here is another way to look at it. Some commercial beekeepers count on the little guy to buy the products they produce. Such as nucs, packages, queens, hive equipment, and even honey. So, us hobbyists are very important to them.
I have a question. I only have one beehive and I got it last spring and I was wondering should I put another empty beehive next to the one that has bees in it in the spring or summer? I am still learning and I appreciate any advice. I read or saw a video where the old colony will leave the hive looking for another place with the old queen. This is why I am asking this question.
Hi Chrisy, when your 1 hive swarms there is not guarantee where they will go. Usually further away than right beside their hive. I would keep the equipment ready to catch them once the make their first landing before their second landing in their new home. My online spring course would help: www.honeybeesonline.com/online-spring-management-course-online/
Hive Life was fantastic! ALL beekeepers were there to enjoy beekeeping. Didn't notice any beekeeper being less than another because of hive numbers. We all live on this same planet.
Thank you. I am a hobbyist and plan to be staying in that. I also love gardening so the two make a great combination for me as hobbies. I see no reason for being petty. If someone wants to make a business of it, Great!, People need them. It should not matter who does what as long as they can stay civil about it.
Interesting. I've talked to wondferful comercial beekeepers who are very happy to share their knowledge with a new beekeeper. I've been very impressed by the respect given to those like Etienne Tardif (who is asked to speak at conferences). I've seen plenty of sideliners on RUclips that don't look like they know what they are doing in the least. Fortunately, this isn't an elephant I've seen in the room yet. My local club is awesome and never talked down to me.
Idk why but I have found a lot of beekeepers some really want to help you. Even if you are not planning on selling a thing and taking any of their business. They don't want to give away any of their secrets. LOL I really just enjoy helping new beekeepers get started and interested in bees like I am.
David awesome video as always! If you have 1 hive or 1,000 we need all the little ladies out working for us humans so we can survive, without them there's no food or fruit. I own two properties at my residence I have only seen one honey bee in the yard that's not enough. Our other property I have not seen a single honey bee that's really bad!! Planning on making a change with that and start putting hives out on the properties just not enough bees in our area. I will be starting this with the honey bees I'll get from you in late April again thank you David for all you do!
Excellent topic and video David. I remember starting out as a brand-new beekeeper seven or eight years ago. I spent two years studying everything I could about beekeeping before I ever bought any equipment or packages of bees. The first equipment I bought was from you. I bought one of your starter kits and then bought a second hive set up because I wanted to have two hives. My soul intentions was never to have any more than that. A hobbyist beekeeper was where I wanted to be. By the end of my second summer I had 8 colonies and discovered Betterbee was only an hour from where I lived. Now picking up beekeeping supplies and equipment got extremely affordable because I can go pick it up rather than have it shipped to Massachusetts. I have since expanded into a sideline beekeeper heading towards commercial. Personally I take every opportunity to encourage new beekeepers. Most of the property owners that I have my apiaries on are interested in beekeeping. Several have even purchased veils and gloves so they can come out when I'm on their property and learn about beekeeping, and I welcome this wholeheartedly. And I have been approached by many new beekeepers who were just looking for information and support. I usually try to set a time where I can go to their property and do height inspections with them to help them out. But I agree there needs to be a lot more common ground between the hobbyist, sideliner, and commercial beekeepers. And I have experienced the varroa bomb personally. I have one apiary where there is a relatively close neighbor who keeps a couple of hives. They are treatment free and I have my highest mite loads in my apiaries that is in close proximity to them. Through casual conversation I found out that they were treatment free and mentioned to them what my findings were with the varroa counts in my apiary. I offered to treat their hives and they respectfully declined. And within the last five years they have replaced their two colonies every year. And as far as the hive alive fondant patties, I bought a couple of 15 count cases this year and have put them on 30 of my hives. I did not want to put them on all of my hives so the majority got sugar patties like I do every year. It will be interesting to see if there is any difference tween regular mountain camp sugar and the hive alive fondant patties. The patties are very convenient and like you mentioned you cut out the red oval in place them right on top your frames and you're good to go. Sorry for such a long post but as always thanks for what you do and thanks for sharing.
I don't understand not only in bee keeping but in all aspects of life, why people can't mind their own "bees wax" (pun intended lol) if it doesn't directly affect your colony why worry what others are doing? Life is so much more enjoyable if your not focusing on other people's problems....
David really you can only categorize Bee Keeping in two ways. One is a beekeeper and the other I’ll be have her the difference between the hobbyist or backyard beekeeper and the commercial beekeeper is it a commercial beekeeper just does it in a larger scale
I think this is so true. I feel like sometimes I get questioned a lot. Because I would like to one day be a commercial beekeeper and am actually starting my own business. However I haven’t even got my hives yet. My grandfather kept bees and he passed a lot of knowledge along to me when I was a kid. I mentored under someone this past season just to make sure that what I had been learning over the past 4-5 years of research was correct or if there was a better way of doing one thing or the other. When I mentored last summer with in a week or two I was inspecting my mentors hive with him. And told me I shouldn’t have no problem getting started. I also want to be doing like you Dave and make content for hobbyist beekeepers because I enjoy educating others. I can say Dave you were the reason I started my own RUclips channel. Most of it now is that first year getting started but I figured I would give those who want to get into it what that first year is like. I am a firm believer in just because you have a certain title doesn’t mean you know everything there is to know about a topic. I work in a profession where my title carries a lot of weight but I will be the first to tell you that if someone below me recommends something or has a different mindset of looking at a way to do something I take it into consideration. As beekeepers both commercial and hobbyists we should constantly work together to improve our industry. And I mean let’s face it if it wasn’t for the bees none of us would even be here. When your heart is in taking care of the bees whatever that looks like for you then I feel like your in it for the right reasons.
Great video, David! In regard to whether commercials beekeepers have more knowledge, etc than hobbyist; I get your point that anyone can write a check to become a commercial beekeeper and that check doesn't impart to them knowledge or experience, but I think that's a rare occurrence and it's far more likely that a commercial beek simply has more years of experience, more learning opportunities and basically more "surface area" for learning than a hobbyist with a few hives. I certainly agree that anyone and everyone can have valuable input and the number of hives isn't always an indicator of knowledge or experience, but as humans we tend to deal in probabilities (even if we don't realize it) and there is a higher probability that the person with the 2,000 hive operation has simply seen and done more than the person with 2 hives in their yard. Not always, of course, but it's just far more likely. All that being said, I think the hobbyists has more freedom and ability to try new things, explore and experiment that a commercial beek simply can't do for economic & business reasons, so they absolutely have a "seat at the table" and bring valuable insights.
I'm working on becoming a sideline bee keeper. But I don't do bees for honey it's just the bonus. Alot of us sideline, and hobbist learn about bee biology. Love you're channel
Maggie said it best below. Just wide circle the snobs and crusty old know it all...Life is better. Hang with beekeepers that wants to encourage, equip and educate ---I am not a hobbiest....i am a beekeeper. Stamp Collecting is a hobby. Beekeeping is a calling. :)
as a brand new Hobby bee keeper, I have been fortunate to have not encountered this. all of the bigger and full time keepers have been very helpful and kind. The Caveat to that is that I have only talked to local keepers.
what about ferowl bees the %. remember wild bees, I tried to talk to some commercial beekeeper and I was 50 miles away and he would not talk to me, it was like I was trying to still his job
Not the number of "keepers" but the number of Hives - Divide is large in the since that it is - 2,600,000 Hives to 300,000 Hives (Complaints to country's governments about bees is the opposite 300 hobby to 1 comm) and laws to fix those complaint effect all keepers! - Both sides need to fix themselves. Commercial Keeps if you add employees is a large number......
I must be among the outliers among hobbyist beekeepers. I learn all I can, read the research, spend thousands a year on my 12-20 colonies, am taking and acing my Cornell U master beekeeper classes, and I’m not sure if it’s helpful to pigeonhole beekeepers’ knowledge, ability and expenditures based on unresearched guesses linked to number of hives.
I like the simplicity of four or less hives. The heat during the summer and the heavy lifting for me gets to be tiresome. I like being able to take my time and enjoy my bees. I have respect for all styles of beekeeping.
Livestock vs pets. The queen is so valuable when you have low numbers. I have 37 colonies and plan to grow each year. The whole of the apiary outweighs the individual colony. Everyone has different levels of interest and investment.
if a bee keeper has had bees longer than I have he has knowledge I may not have gained. Me being a new beek ( less than 2 years). That is most people I interact with in the bee keeping community. My knowledge has come from study of the tube and books. I learn every day in the apiary!
There has been some movement among a few commercial beekeepers in and around Utah to get the legislature(s) to adopt a prohibition of all hobby beekeeping. Their concern is that far too many hobbyists either don't know how to manage mites disease or refuse to do so in the name of natural beekeeping. These commercial beekeepers see such negligent (sometimes willfully) beekeepers as a threat to their livelihood. As the county bee inspector in two counties here in Utah, I must agree that the behaviors of many hobby beekeepers are dangerous to the health of not only their own bees but to the health of every other honey bee colony in the area (including mine). In my inspections, I tell each beekeeper about the importance of regular inspections and mite counts. I share my 60 years of hobby beekeeping to teach them how to do effective inspections and mite counts, how to manage swarming, and the importance of keeping mite counts low (Randy Oliver's graphs are great to illustrate the threat of mites). When I reinspect later, I often find mite counts in the dozens per half-cup of bees and/or queenlessness due to failure to raise a new queen after swarming. We hobby beekeepers must do better to accept science and proven experience in beekeeping. Thank you, Dave, for doing your part.
I have been very fortunate to do business with a commercial bee operation that I enjoy interacting with on Facebook and their family's goings on in that lifestyle and livelihood. My worst experience was a sideliner brother-in-law who was jealous? that I wanted to get into bees as he had won the county fair with his honey. He belittled me as if I would be too overwhelmed and stupid to raise bees. Literally talked me out of it for three years before I finally realized he was full of it. PLEASE do a video on how to keep bees out of my swimming pool this spring and summer as pool will open in May. They will fly over birdbaths and saucers to go to our pool and worried about my granddaughter being stung. They are actually closer to my farm pond as well but will still come to the pool. (Maybe looking for the beer? lol)
I make mead and we sometimes see that in the mead world too, people who've gone into professional meadmaking after being a homebrewer for 2 years, trying to tell the veteran homebrewer who's been making mead for decades how to make mead... If you're going to go all judgemental on people, commercial vs hobbyist isn't how I'd draw the line, it's how long you've been doing it. And also whether you've been keeping up on current technology. I find the way to tell how much someone knows about something is how many mistakes they've made doing it. If none, then they're really lucky.... the one who's made all the mistakes and has learned from them likely has a much better grasp on the subject, and will be a much better resource for helping people problem solve, but on that same note, the situations are changing so newer people making mistakes are going to have different challenges to overcome and it will be worthwhile to learn from them too.
Hi David just love you expertise and very educational and exceptionally entertaining videos. I'm just watching with interest this video. Regarding who looks after and loves their bees more.........definitely the hobbyists if it is anything to do with my interesting experience regarding the last colony which is the second I bought last year.... The last colony were lathered in Varroa mites. It is interesting that the advert that the professional sells his honey is that he uses no chemicals! It is him that I bought my Buckfast colony from. His advert that said he uses no chemicals induced me to think ,well it's high time he did use chemicals of some description? I killed over 1300 mites in three months on that colony. They are not mite free but have very few mites on them now. The first colony 2021 did have mites but not inundated as the second colony. I bought the first colony from a different professional. He was a smaller scale professional who seemed very proud of the fact that his bees were 'quite' They will still sting you however if they are upset by the beekeeper. I looked at your meeting with Frederick which was pleasing..... You are both a very valuable pair of Beekeepers to us hobbyists. It is very interesting that the method re Randy Oliver's strips initiated by the Argentinians is positively efficient killer of Varroa but does not seem to hurt the precious bees. Bets wishes Mick in the UK
Lol I lost my very long comment. Forever lost in the internet.. But! I bow down an take my hat off to you coz? You said a mouthful and are spot on in your comment! ( So if I win the Billions Zillions dollar Lottery I can become a big boy? Lol no thanks I have enough headache as it is 🤣😂). However you did miss one important point an since were walking on hot coals with a 5 gallon bucket of gas in hand. What fries my butt is how the big boys, side liners, an the hobby look an talk about the Female bee keeper. It is just Bs ! I have known some men that should not be within 1000 miles of a hive! ( for the record I am not a Female 😝) But regardless the size of the bee keeper we all serve the bees . We provide an home and they provide for us sweets. But your spot on an your 1000% correct , we all should respect each other and work together… But as a retired farmer I can tell you, yes we are extremely busy even in our sleep but sorry to say it is the same in farming also .. But this was a great job at laying the truth out
Good point Joe. Sometimes RUclips can filter out comments before they reach me, especially if they have a link or so on. Glad you took the time to resubmit. You bring up some good point and that's why I recently made the video DO WOMEN MAKE BETTER BEEKEEPERS: ruclips.net/video/jWqE8Ob83F8/видео.html
Not the number of hives exactly but the number of hives paired with the number of years sustained which qualifies the individual with the familiarity to those types of business dynamics to others based on their hive count capability. That “stature” is then associated to direct attention towards specific types of issues managed within that “then” self appointed industry, It’s all about association and money and that is where the disconnect is formed. I’m quite excited to see a channel for non commercial beekeepers to express their energy into the complex dynamics of our overall industry. That needs to be continually supported. Like an accordion, the two groups naturally come together and then apart as the music continues to play!
Real serious question 4 you Ian. Just came in. 4 lunch and cought this and your Newfy trip video. Did you smile while making the above comment? Sorry thats all you get today. Off to grab the syrup truck so I can fill cans. Got to put more smiles on the ladies faces. Where it really matters.
e.g. cyclists and car drivers/ car drivers and lorry drivers/...there are so many examples of subgroups who do the 'same' thing...a lot of the time their is friction between the two subgroups with each having their own point of view...you can't change human nature...if it wasn't bees it would be something else...so its not just beekeepers elephant in the room...its everyone's elephant in the room...i'm tempted to say big deal as this is never going to change until our inclination to draw partial distinctions is a thing of the past.
Your whole video was about coming together. But you really kind of got me at the don’t be irresponsible and create more bombs. I am a natural beekeeper. I don’t treat via medicine. Yes I run screened bottoms. I have in the past made little flying powdered donuts. I do brood breaks and have a more hygienic breed. However I do not to mite counts. My first year I treated and they all but two absconded. One died of starvation which was my lack of knowledge then and the other was really riddled with mites at that point even with heavy treatment. They ended up dying out with DWV. I had a softball sized colony left without a queen that following spring. I changed genetics via a new queen and it burst into having to split that hive the following year 4 ways. Lets fast forward a bit. Going through these hives I will have to split I know two of them for sure. One of them I’ll probably end up pulling 3 extra colonies from without making any of them weak. I don’t like the term natural keepers raise mite bombs. I think everyone has their own take on it. That’s like feral cats. Okay they are wrapped up with fleas. Your cat hangs with this feral cat in the same water hole it may get some fleas from that feral cat. But if you treat your cat for fleas then you don’t worry about that feral cat cause fleas are a part of having cats. You do what you can to combat it. The only difference in the analogy is that there’s a lot of money involved. There’s a lot more feral bees out there than we know and the majority comes from the commercial keepers who can’t regulate all of the hives all the time and they fly out. It’s just a loss that happens. Okay now I’m rambling. I love your videos usually. This one definitely has me a little….sideways.
I understand your thought process. It sounds like you are being very responsible with mites in finding a control method that doesn't include the use of treatments. If I said natural beekeepers create mite bombs, that was not my intention nor my feelings. Not all untreated colonies are infested beyond the threshold. In my video I made it clear that there are many IPM methods to try that are "natural" before treatments are necessary. I've always advocated that beekeepers check for mites every two weeks and work hard using IPM methods to reduce mites. Cats versus mites could be different in that while fleas torment cats, they usually do not kill mature cats. Mites, on the other hand, can kill a colony by the spread of a dozen or more viruses. You bring up so good thoughts and I appreciate the interaction. Thank you for your feed back.
I'm 6 mins into this video writing this. I feel that there is a "bragging" or "competitive" mindset in so many different jobs/careers and hobbies. I'm currently a welder, I have been for over 10 years. There are SO many people who consider themselves a welder because they have welded in the past or maybe have a small welder in their garage. There is a huge difference between the person that welds as a "hobby" and one for a career. I feel like beekeeping is the same. The hobbiest beekeepers aren't any less a beekeeper, but they are far from professional. Woodworking or cabinet building is another aspect. A lot of people forget they were once the beginner or the "hobbyists." I see it in different things than what I just noted, but this was the top of my mind to give an analogy.
Quick Comment: I have/had worked for a commercial (small 1600 hives) and years later now a hobbyist. There is much that could be said about the "health" of colonies of small bee yards compared to huge "monocultures" . "Anything for money mentality" is a weakness. Cities "might" need monoculture producers, ... if the flora can handle it. Now, in our small area many small farms, ranches, gardeners and bee keepers ... along with hunters, fishermen and shooters we had a problem one year when a large commercial system came in for a couple of months. They had so many bees that they soaked up most all of the nectar flow and the local hives suffered with not having enough. Now it is postulated the imports could have brought disease ... and further with the threat by vaccine god worshipers, this might cause even more unnatural conditions so more sickness rises. Get toxins out (which includes greed mentality and smash the small guys) and keep healthy in the system. Sickness does not produce health ... believe it or not. I am still wanting to prepare in advance to queen making but not getting the information I need... i.e. what all to have on hand by the time I start! I am enjoying getting the education but a list and prices and maybe kits may make life's start easier.
That was a good talk all the way up until the very end. Seemed like you were doing well trying to bridge the divide, then you couldn't help but suggest certain ways of doing things were irresponsible.... mite bombs... Someone should go out and put IPM on all those trees out in the wilderness with feral colonies.
I would also love to sit in a Michelin Star restaurant, just for the experience. Top End restaurants are 50% food, but then 50% the experience. Great info in this video David. We as a beekeeping community need to move forward and tear down any walls that exist between commercial and hobbyists. How will we move forward if there is a devision between us. My thought, or my approach towards my Colonies, is to follow those who put food on the table from Beekeeping. Like you said, they can not afford to loose. What keeps me grounded as a hobbyist is the personal relationship that I have with my Bees. Queens are named, Colonies are named. I truly enjoy having that intimate relationship, being able to observe them like I do. 🐝
Agree Brian, I really feel that it is powerful to reinforce in others that they are okay being themselves, whatever that means to them. To encourage and support someone where they are at right now is so powerful.
This is why I really appreciated Hive Life conference. Everyone, including yourself were so helpful to a hobbiest like myself
That's so good to hear Maggie and thank you for sharing.
Great job David! Your 100% right! that is why I really like Hive Life, hobbyist, commercial, Sideliner, or someone who doesn’t even own bees and just wants to learn and become a beekeeper this spring is welcomed. Great job David explaining! Take care!
If I never get to the commercial level, I’ll always be a beekeeper open to learn more 🥰 Thank you for your contributions, David!
Very good points David. I once attended a “natural beekeeping seminar. “And was taken back by the animosity towards commercial beekeeping practices. I even commented about some of the same things you brought up. And how we can lean from them in our own hobby beekeeping practices. I believe we can learn from everyone. Thanks the world is to polarized
This is great, Dave. We are all in this together and appreciate you making room at the table for candid conversations and a cup of coffee too! Well done!
I’m happy with my 10-25 colonies after 5 years. Thankful for the local club that has been very helpful. I am volunteering as a way to say Thank you. Those who have 200+ colonies and decades in beekeeping are kind in their comments when new bees come aboard.
I have experienced both. The Bee club I belong to really focuses on the new Beekeeper. They work at education for the NewBee in the hopes they won't give up.
However, with that said, I have come across some uppity not nice Beekeepers. They spoke down to me and made me feel like I was some sort of competition.
Thankfully in 6 years that has only happened on a few occasions.
Here in central Iowa, we have a great relationship among the three groups. The Iowa Honey Producers president and a few other well known commercial guys got together and made a facebook group where every type of member can post wins and losses, asking honest questions and getting respectful responses. I'm a tier 3 guy looking to move into tier 2 over the next couple years and I love the conduit of information always available to me.
Brave topic, and you handled it wonderfully. Tough subject whenever we have to deal with our own attitude/issues....we've all got them ! Just hard to tame that tongue! I love watching and learning from commercial bee keepers and I have no intention of having more than 7 or 8 hives. I figure the commercial guys know the bees and what it takes to keeping them healthy, growing bees, and producing honey. I get the most enjoyment of bee keeping from the backyard guys...they've got freedom to study and experiment, which gives me the confidence to make decisions that suit MY bee yard. THNX so much for this video David, it means a lot!
So very well put Micah
Hey Dave! Great Meeting you Sir! Great way to see things! God Bless youall and your Bees!!!
Thanks, you too!
David's rambling - conversational videos are the best!
I'm only joking about the rambling, your technical videos are brilliant - I've learnt a great deal from them.
I like how you always keep an open mind in your approach to the science and new literature.
I feel every one of us is important. If at all possible, all families should have at least one beehive. I only have one hive and this Spring will be one year that I have had mine. I have learned a lot from the experienced bee keeper. It is winter now and thankfully my babies are still alive from the cold weather we had Below Zero. I feel they wouldn’t have been alive if I wouldn’t have watched videos of how to. Thanks again
You are spot on! My husband is a lifetime farmer...now retired. I am beginning to bee keep. I hear the comments you are addressing both in bee keeping and in farming. I admire your desire to address this issue. I fear today's culture has destroyed any hope of changed attitudes towards others, no matter what the issue.
Interesting subject. Here in NW MN, there are a number of very large commercial beekeepers, and a mix of all the rest. I haven't witnessed any friction, everyone seems to have the same feelings as you do, David, and understand we're all on the same team. It is also interesting to look at the time/scope of a beekeeper, something I've run headlong into myself: I'm at 50/50 with my time on the job vs beekeeping. I can't grow the bee activity any further without negatively impacting my job. Some day I'll make the transition to beekeeping being the job and my current job will be a sideliner. We can dream can't we?
Loving the shirt David. I just recently enrolled as a Mentor. Unfortunately there’s no one to mentor in my area.
David, I have a question presently I have serval Langstroth hives but I acquired two Warre hives to add to the yard my question is can I make splits from langstroth to warre if so how. Because They are different frames configurations.
No you'll have to continue to make your splits into the same type of hives you are splitting them from due to the different hive configurations.
Thanks David. Great video on an important topic.
Great discussion and perspective as always David!! Absolutely great video! Its hard to keep an open mind on so many of the issues that we are working on with keeping bees at all levels. An open mind is the right answer. I wish I could keep bees "full time" and run more hives, but we all are doing what we want to do and can do like you said. I think I have learned a lot over the years (usually through mistakes!), but certainly have so much more to learn and the bees will keep us all on our toes no matter how much we think we know. Discounting what others learn and pick up from research or working their bees is probably a mistake. Again, great video with great points! We all appreciate the great content!
Thank you Conlon, well said. It's about balancing life, doing what matters most and not becoming obsessed with one thing or becoming a workaholic and living under a tremendous amount of stress. Stress is probably the leading cause of various health issues.
I think commercial beeks have some good practices to stream line operation. I don't like their approach of removing all honey and replacing with sugar, since I manage for swarming and pollination, not for honey production. It's also less work for me. But treating for diseases is a must IMO. I learned a lot from you and Bob Binnie website, DirtRooster and Mr. Ed are just pure entertainment, haha. A source of knowledge can come from different sources.
Very well said, Dave. , thanks
I’m a hobbyist as of right now 8 colonies but working on being a sideline beekeeping with 100 colonies or so. But I don’t see myself ever become commercial beekeeper because from what I’m seeing most commercial beakers are minimalist and I can’t do that to my bees. I’m a big believer in ratchet straps and insulating hives over the winter and cant afford do that with 300 colonies. Thanks for the share and thank you for your online beekeeping course. Second year beekeeper and still no deadouts 👍🏻🐝 I’m all about keeping bees alive!!!
Yes I am also a hobbyist I guess. Lol I talk to my bees. It breaks my heart when I see even one of them dead. I am big on insulating for winter also and making sure they have a good start in the spring with sugar water and other minerals that I put in the water But I will never take all their honey. I’ll give them the winter patties in the winter but I try not to open their hive when it is cold. I am considered a hobbyist because I only have one hive so far but I spend a lot more time than 10% on my hive. I farm and give my bees at least 50% of my time. I have bought a extractor and other numerous equipment for my one hive.I am so happy that my bees survived below zero weather which is unusual for where I live in Arkansas. David, thank you so much for all the videos that you share and I wanna thank other people for their videos also that I watch and learn. Christopher good luck with your bees. Oh, I do use mite protection in my hives also.
@@cschrisy Good luck to you as well. Thanks for the share.
“R E S P E C T THATS WHAT IT MEANS TO ME”
In every industry there are snobs, know-it-alls and obnoxious personalities. I just retired from 36 years in commercial banking and dealt with such people regularly. As a beekeeping hobbiest with four hives here in North Carolina, I have yet to run into such personalities. Conversely, I have found people to be very helpful and friendly.
What I had found in my professional life is the formation of cliques in trade organizations that become somewhat of a closed club. They take turns as officers and speakers. This is common from bowling leagues to church organizations. The beauty of the internet is that we can learn from people all over the world and avoid the trade organization politics and toxic personalities.
Wish I knew about the Hive Life conference Hope to attend next time.
Now you have shared some valuable truths especially about the taking turns of the same officers and speakers. I see this alot.
Id Rather Master a Few Than Own Many! God Bless!!!
Good point and it is certainly better to learn from a small number at first.
Love the neon sign! Same thing my honey label says
Truly Lucky Farms
Life is Sweet!
Love your channel, very informative with a broad focus that keeps the entertainment value up.
Keep up the good work
Awesome! Thank you!
This is how I look at this Dave. I look to the 'space race'. What is in our modern life that is not in use in our daily lives today? Not much really. Our cell phones, computers, circuitry in our everyday appliances, heck my new pickup has so much in it. What the commercial guys do eventually trickles down to the hobbyist. The same could be said for the other way around.
Your chart on the 80-10-10 percentages reminds me of what I learned in fish management college course, 90% of the fish are caught by 10% of the fishermen....not far off really. There is the same overlap all of the beekeepers have for the commercial/sideliners/commercial and that is the bees. The bees should be bringing all of us together.
Thank you for your lecture, I have been following you for the last two months, so I'm now interested in Bee keeping. 'SAMSON -Uganda.
A great discussion--thanks!
Here is another way to look at it. Some commercial beekeepers count on the little guy to buy the products they produce. Such as nucs, packages, queens, hive equipment, and even honey. So, us hobbyists are very important to them.
Very very good point and something commercial beekeepers need to keep in mind.
I have a question. I only have one beehive and I got it last spring and I was wondering should I put another empty beehive next to the one that has bees in it in the spring or summer? I am still learning and I appreciate any advice. I read or saw a video where the old colony will leave the hive looking for another place with the old queen. This is why I am asking this question.
Hi Chrisy, when your 1 hive swarms there is not guarantee where they will go. Usually further away than right beside their hive. I would keep the equipment ready to catch them once the make their first landing before their second landing in their new home. My online spring course would help: www.honeybeesonline.com/online-spring-management-course-online/
Hive Life was fantastic! ALL beekeepers were there to enjoy beekeeping. Didn't notice any beekeeper being less than another because of hive numbers. We all live on this same planet.
Indeed Kim and thank you for being a subscriber for 5 years!
Thank you. I am a hobbyist and plan to be staying in that. I also love gardening so the two make a great combination for me as hobbies. I see no reason for being petty. If someone wants to make a business of it, Great!, People need them. It should not matter who does what as long as they can stay civil about it.
All good points
Interesting. I've talked to wondferful comercial beekeepers who are very happy to share their knowledge with a new beekeeper. I've been very impressed by the respect given to those like Etienne Tardif (who is asked to speak at conferences). I've seen plenty of sideliners on RUclips that don't look like they know what they are doing in the least. Fortunately, this isn't an elephant I've seen in the room yet. My local club is awesome and never talked down to me.
Idk why but I have found a lot of beekeepers some really want to help you. Even if you are not planning on selling a thing and taking any of their business. They don't want to give away any of their secrets. LOL I really just enjoy helping new beekeepers get started and interested in bees like I am.
David awesome video as always! If you have 1 hive or 1,000 we need all the little ladies out working for us humans so we can survive, without them there's no food or fruit. I own two properties at my residence I have only seen one honey bee in the yard that's not enough. Our other property I have not seen a single honey bee that's really bad!! Planning on making a change with that and start putting hives out on the properties just not enough bees in our area. I will be starting this with the honey bees I'll get from you in late April again thank you David for all you do!
Excellent topic and video David. I remember starting out as a brand-new beekeeper seven or eight years ago. I spent two years studying everything I could about beekeeping before I ever bought any equipment or packages of bees. The first equipment I bought was from you. I bought one of your starter kits and then bought a second hive set up because I wanted to have two hives. My soul intentions was never to have any more than that. A hobbyist beekeeper was where I wanted to be. By the end of my second summer I had 8 colonies and discovered Betterbee was only an hour from where I lived. Now picking up beekeeping supplies and equipment got extremely affordable because I can go pick it up rather than have it shipped to Massachusetts.
I have since expanded into a sideline beekeeper heading towards commercial. Personally I take every opportunity to encourage new beekeepers. Most of the property owners that I have my apiaries on are interested in beekeeping. Several have even purchased veils and gloves so they can come out when I'm on their property and learn about beekeeping, and I welcome this wholeheartedly. And I have been approached by many new beekeepers who were just looking for information and support. I usually try to set a time where I can go to their property and do height inspections with them to help them out.
But I agree there needs to be a lot more common ground between the hobbyist, sideliner, and commercial beekeepers. And I have experienced the varroa bomb personally. I have one apiary where there is a relatively close neighbor who keeps a couple of hives. They are treatment free and I have my highest mite loads in my apiaries that is in close proximity to them. Through casual conversation I found out that they were treatment free and mentioned to them what my findings were with the varroa counts in my apiary. I offered to treat their hives and they respectfully declined. And within the last five years they have replaced their two colonies every year.
And as far as the hive alive fondant patties, I bought a couple of 15 count cases this year and have put them on 30 of my hives. I did not want to put them on all of my hives so the majority got sugar patties like I do every year. It will be interesting to see if there is any difference tween regular mountain camp sugar and the hive alive fondant patties. The patties are very convenient and like you mentioned you cut out the red oval in place them right on top your frames and you're good to go. Sorry for such a long post but as always thanks for what you do and thanks for sharing.
I don't understand not only in bee keeping but in all aspects of life, why people can't mind their own "bees wax" (pun intended lol) if it doesn't directly affect your colony why worry what others are doing? Life is so much more enjoyable if your not focusing on other people's problems....
So, so so true
David really you can only categorize Bee Keeping in two ways. One is a beekeeper and the other I’ll be have her the difference between the hobbyist or backyard beekeeper and the commercial beekeeper is it a commercial beekeeper just does it in a larger scale
I think this is so true. I feel like sometimes I get questioned a lot. Because I would like to one day be a commercial beekeeper and am actually starting my own business. However I haven’t even got my hives yet. My grandfather kept bees and he passed a lot of knowledge along to me when I was a kid. I mentored under someone this past season just to make sure that what I had been learning over the past 4-5 years of research was correct or if there was a better way of doing one thing or the other. When I mentored last summer with in a week or two I was inspecting my mentors hive with him. And told me I shouldn’t have no problem getting started. I also want to be doing like you Dave and make content for hobbyist beekeepers because I enjoy educating others. I can say Dave you were the reason I started my own RUclips channel. Most of it now is that first year getting started but I figured I would give those who want to get into it what that first year is like. I am a firm believer in just because you have a certain title doesn’t mean you know everything there is to know about a topic. I work in a profession where my title carries a lot of weight but I will be the first to tell you that if someone below me recommends something or has a different mindset of looking at a way to do something I take it into consideration. As beekeepers both commercial and hobbyists we should constantly work together to improve our industry. And I mean let’s face it if it wasn’t for the bees none of us would even be here. When your heart is in taking care of the bees whatever that looks like for you then I feel like your in it for the right reasons.
Great video, David! In regard to whether commercials beekeepers have more knowledge, etc than hobbyist; I get your point that anyone can write a check to become a commercial beekeeper and that check doesn't impart to them knowledge or experience, but I think that's a rare occurrence and it's far more likely that a commercial beek simply has more years of experience, more learning opportunities and basically more "surface area" for learning than a hobbyist with a few hives. I certainly agree that anyone and everyone can have valuable input and the number of hives isn't always an indicator of knowledge or experience, but as humans we tend to deal in probabilities (even if we don't realize it) and there is a higher probability that the person with the 2,000 hive operation has simply seen and done more than the person with 2 hives in their yard. Not always, of course, but it's just far more likely.
All that being said, I think the hobbyists has more freedom and ability to try new things, explore and experiment that a commercial beek simply can't do for economic & business reasons, so they absolutely have a "seat at the table" and bring valuable insights.
I'm working on becoming a sideline bee keeper. But I don't do bees for honey it's just the bonus. Alot of us sideline, and hobbist learn about bee biology. Love you're channel
I am working with a guy he has twenty hives.
You have helped me a lot this will be our third year in May and we did harvest some honey 🙂 thanks
I think you make a really good point.
Thank you so much Mimi
Maggie said it best below. Just wide circle the snobs and crusty old know it all...Life is better. Hang with beekeepers that wants to encourage, equip and educate ---I am not a hobbiest....i am a beekeeper. Stamp Collecting is a hobby. Beekeeping is a calling. :)
as a brand new Hobby bee keeper, I have been fortunate to have not encountered this. all of the bigger and full time keepers have been very helpful and kind. The Caveat to that is that I have only talked to local keepers.
what about ferowl bees the %. remember wild bees, I tried to talk to some commercial beekeeper and I was 50 miles away and he would not talk to me, it was like I was trying to still his job
Too bad Stanley that you were treated that way. Not sure I understand your question about percentage.
Not the number of "keepers" but the number of Hives - Divide is large in the since that it is - 2,600,000 Hives to 300,000 Hives (Complaints to country's governments about bees is the opposite 300 hobby to 1 comm) and laws to fix those complaint effect all keepers! - Both sides need to fix themselves. Commercial Keeps if you add employees is a large number......
I must be among the outliers among hobbyist beekeepers. I learn all I can, read the research, spend thousands a year on my 12-20 colonies, am taking and acing my Cornell U master beekeeper classes, and I’m not sure if it’s helpful to pigeonhole beekeepers’ knowledge, ability and expenditures based on unresearched guesses linked to number of hives.
Well said
Everybody starts with one or a few hives. 🤠🍯🐝
The difference between the three classes of beekeepers is risk. The most successful people took the most risk.
I like the simplicity of four or less hives. The heat during the summer and the heavy lifting for me gets to be tiresome. I like being able to take my time and enjoy my bees. I have respect for all styles of beekeeping.
Well said!
Livestock vs pets. The queen is so valuable when you have low numbers. I have 37 colonies and plan to grow each year. The whole of the apiary outweighs the individual colony. Everyone has different levels of interest and investment.
if a bee keeper has had bees longer than I have he has knowledge I may not have gained. Me being a new beek ( less than 2 years). That is most people I interact with in the bee keeping community. My knowledge has come from study of the tube and books. I learn every day in the apiary!
There has been some movement among a few commercial beekeepers in and around Utah to get the legislature(s) to adopt a prohibition of all hobby beekeeping. Their concern is that far too many hobbyists either don't know how to manage mites disease or refuse to do so in the name of natural beekeeping. These commercial beekeepers see such negligent (sometimes willfully) beekeepers as a threat to their livelihood.
As the county bee inspector in two counties here in Utah, I must agree that the behaviors of many hobby beekeepers are dangerous to the health of not only their own bees but to the health of every other honey bee colony in the area (including mine). In my inspections, I tell each beekeeper about the importance of regular inspections and mite counts. I share my 60 years of hobby beekeeping to teach them how to do effective inspections and mite counts, how to manage swarming, and the importance of keeping mite counts low (Randy Oliver's graphs are great to illustrate the threat of mites). When I reinspect later, I often find mite counts in the dozens per half-cup of bees and/or queenlessness due to failure to raise a new queen after swarming.
We hobby beekeepers must do better to accept science and proven experience in beekeeping. Thank you, Dave, for doing your part.
I have been very fortunate to do business with a commercial bee operation that I enjoy interacting with on Facebook and their family's goings on in that lifestyle and livelihood. My worst experience was a sideliner brother-in-law who was jealous? that I wanted to get into bees as he had won the county fair with his honey. He belittled me as if I would be too overwhelmed and stupid to raise bees. Literally talked me out of it for three years before I finally realized he was full of it.
PLEASE do a video on how to keep bees out of my swimming pool this spring and summer as pool will open in May. They will fly over birdbaths and saucers to go to our pool and worried about my granddaughter being stung. They are actually closer to my farm pond as well but will still come to the pool. (Maybe looking for the beer? lol)
I make mead and we sometimes see that in the mead world too, people who've gone into professional meadmaking after being a homebrewer for 2 years, trying to tell the veteran homebrewer who's been making mead for decades how to make mead... If you're going to go all judgemental on people, commercial vs hobbyist isn't how I'd draw the line, it's how long you've been doing it. And also whether you've been keeping up on current technology. I find the way to tell how much someone knows about something is how many mistakes they've made doing it. If none, then they're really lucky.... the one who's made all the mistakes and has learned from them likely has a much better grasp on the subject, and will be a much better resource for helping people problem solve, but on that same note, the situations are changing so newer people making mistakes are going to have different challenges to overcome and it will be worthwhile to learn from them too.
Hey David, where’s your cup-o-joe?
That's coming up soon
Not to quibble, but perhaps using a pie chart would have been more accurate, representative wise. 😉
Hi David just love you expertise and very educational and exceptionally entertaining videos. I'm just watching with interest this video.
Regarding who looks after and loves their bees more.........definitely the hobbyists if it is anything to do with my interesting experience regarding the last colony which is the second I bought last year....
The last colony were lathered in Varroa mites. It is interesting that the advert that the professional sells his honey is that he uses no chemicals! It is him that I bought my Buckfast colony from.
His advert that said he uses no chemicals induced me to think ,well it's high time he did use chemicals of some description?
I killed over 1300 mites in three months on that colony. They are not mite free but have very few mites on them now.
The first colony 2021 did have mites but not inundated as the second colony. I bought the first colony from a different professional. He was a smaller scale professional who seemed very proud of the fact that his bees were 'quite'
They will still sting you however if they are upset by the beekeeper.
I looked at your meeting with Frederick which was pleasing..... You are both a very valuable pair of Beekeepers to us hobbyists.
It is very interesting that the method re Randy Oliver's strips initiated by the Argentinians is positively efficient killer of Varroa but does not seem to hurt the precious bees.
Bets wishes Mick in the UK
Lol I lost my very long comment. Forever lost in the internet.. But! I bow down an take my hat off to you coz? You said a mouthful and are spot on in your comment! ( So if I win the Billions Zillions dollar Lottery I can become a big boy? Lol no thanks I have enough headache as it is 🤣😂). However you did miss one important point an since were walking on hot coals with a 5 gallon bucket of gas in hand. What fries my butt is how the big boys, side liners, an the hobby look an talk about the Female bee keeper. It is just Bs ! I have known some men that should not be within 1000 miles of a hive! ( for the record I am not a Female 😝) But regardless the size of the bee keeper we all serve the bees . We provide an home and they provide for us sweets. But your spot on an your 1000% correct , we all should respect each other and work together… But as a retired farmer I can tell you, yes we are extremely busy even in our sleep but sorry to say it is the same in farming also .. But this was a great job at laying the truth out
Good point Joe. Sometimes RUclips can filter out comments before they reach me, especially if they have a link or so on. Glad you took the time to resubmit. You bring up some good point and that's why I recently made the video DO WOMEN MAKE BETTER BEEKEEPERS: ruclips.net/video/jWqE8Ob83F8/видео.html
Not the number of hives exactly but the number of hives paired with the number of years sustained which qualifies the individual with the familiarity to those types of business dynamics to others based on their hive count capability.
That “stature” is then associated to direct attention towards specific types of issues managed within that “then” self appointed industry,
It’s all about association and money and that is where the disconnect is formed.
I’m quite excited to see a channel for non commercial beekeepers to express their energy into the complex dynamics of our overall industry. That needs to be continually supported.
Like an accordion, the two groups naturally come together and then apart as the music continues to play!
Good words Ian, and I thought the commercial guy tying down the hives in my thumbnail looked alot like you 😃
Real serious question 4 you Ian. Just came in. 4 lunch and cought this and your Newfy trip video.
Did you smile while making the above comment?
Sorry thats all you get today. Off to grab the syrup truck so I can fill cans.
Got to put more smiles on the ladies faces. Where it really matters.
Suit too clean, face isn’t unshaven lol
Hobbyist are the people that treat their pets like children better than there actual children.
I actually thought it was Ian in the thumbnail 🤷🏻♂️
e.g. cyclists and car drivers/ car drivers and lorry drivers/...there are so many examples of subgroups who do the 'same' thing...a lot of the time their is friction between the two subgroups with each having their own point of view...you can't change human nature...if it wasn't bees it would be something else...so its not just beekeepers elephant in the room...its everyone's elephant in the room...i'm tempted to say big deal as this is never going to change until our inclination to draw partial distinctions is a thing of the past.
“You can’t change human nature” or “There is no cure for human nature! “
Your whole video was about coming together. But you really kind of got me at the don’t be irresponsible and create more bombs. I am a natural beekeeper. I don’t treat via medicine. Yes I run screened bottoms. I have in the past made little flying powdered donuts. I do brood breaks and have a more hygienic breed. However I do not to mite counts. My first year I treated and they all but two absconded. One died of starvation which was my lack of knowledge then and the other was really riddled with mites at that point even with heavy treatment. They ended up dying out with DWV. I had a softball sized colony left without a queen that following spring. I changed genetics via a new queen and it burst into having to split that hive the following year 4 ways. Lets fast forward a bit. Going through these hives I will have to split I know two of them for sure. One of them I’ll probably end up pulling 3 extra colonies from without making any of them weak. I don’t like the term natural keepers raise mite bombs. I think everyone has their own take on it. That’s like feral cats. Okay they are wrapped up with fleas. Your cat hangs with this feral cat in the same water hole it may get some fleas from that feral cat. But if you treat your cat for fleas then you don’t worry about that feral cat cause fleas are a part of having cats. You do what you can to combat it. The only difference in the analogy is that there’s a lot of money involved. There’s a lot more feral bees out there than we know and the majority comes from the commercial keepers who can’t regulate all of the hives all the time and they fly out. It’s just a loss that happens. Okay now I’m rambling. I love your videos usually. This one definitely has me a little….sideways.
I understand your thought process. It sounds like you are being very responsible with mites in finding a control method that doesn't include the use of treatments. If I said natural beekeepers create mite bombs, that was not my intention nor my feelings. Not all untreated colonies are infested beyond the threshold. In my video I made it clear that there are many IPM methods to try that are "natural" before treatments are necessary. I've always advocated that beekeepers check for mites every two weeks and work hard using IPM methods to reduce mites. Cats versus mites could be different in that while fleas torment cats, they usually do not kill mature cats. Mites, on the other hand, can kill a colony by the spread of a dozen or more viruses. You bring up so good thoughts and I appreciate the interaction. Thank you for your feed back.
I'm 6 mins into this video writing this. I feel that there is a "bragging" or "competitive" mindset in so many different jobs/careers and hobbies. I'm currently a welder, I have been for over 10 years. There are SO many people who consider themselves a welder because they have welded in the past or maybe have a small welder in their garage. There is a huge difference between the person that welds as a "hobby" and one for a career. I feel like beekeeping is the same. The hobbiest beekeepers aren't any less a beekeeper, but they are far from professional. Woodworking or cabinet building is another aspect. A lot of people forget they were once the beginner or the "hobbyists." I see it in different things than what I just noted, but this was the top of my mind to give an analogy.
Quick Comment: I have/had worked for a commercial (small 1600 hives) and years later now a hobbyist. There is much that could be said about the "health" of colonies of small bee yards compared to huge "monocultures" . "Anything for money mentality" is a weakness. Cities "might" need monoculture producers, ... if the flora can handle it. Now, in our small area many small farms, ranches, gardeners and bee keepers ... along with hunters, fishermen and shooters we had a problem one year when a large commercial system came in for a couple of months. They had so many bees that they soaked up most all of the nectar flow and the local hives suffered with not having enough. Now it is postulated the imports could have brought disease ... and further with the threat by vaccine god worshipers, this might cause even more unnatural conditions so more sickness rises. Get toxins out (which includes greed mentality and smash the small guys) and keep healthy in the system. Sickness does not produce health ... believe it or not. I am still wanting to prepare in advance to queen making but not getting the information I need... i.e. what all to have on hand by the time I start! I am enjoying getting the education but a list and prices and maybe kits may make life's start easier.
That was a good talk all the way up until the very end. Seemed like you were doing well trying to bridge the divide, then you couldn't help but suggest certain ways of doing things were irresponsible.... mite bombs... Someone should go out and put IPM on all those trees out in the wilderness with feral colonies.
Yep. There went the opinion.
I have no use for information about cooks get to the point please
But I liked my cook analogy. I was going to use another one on the Gold, Silver and Bronze Olympic metals but didn't.
@@beek i like you analogy, also with the size of garden 👍 great critics video, thank you again.
Well that makes me the old country family run rural PUB lol
I would also love to sit in a Michelin Star restaurant, just for the experience. Top End restaurants are 50% food, but then 50% the experience. Great info in this video David. We as a beekeeping community need to move forward and tear down any walls that exist between commercial and hobbyists. How will we move forward if there is a devision between us. My thought, or my approach towards my Colonies, is to follow those who put food on the table from Beekeeping. Like you said, they can not afford to loose. What keeps me grounded as a hobbyist is the personal relationship that I have with my Bees. Queens are named, Colonies are named. I truly enjoy having that intimate relationship, being able to observe them like I do. 🐝
Agree Brian, I really feel that it is powerful to reinforce in others that they are okay being themselves, whatever that means to them. To encourage and support someone where they are at right now is so powerful.