This is an interesting discussion, but I think there is something missing.

If one is going to start counting dead hives of "alternative" beekeepers, what does one say about the very large, repeated public losses of beekeepers like Dave Hackenburg and Jim Doane?

What does one say about successful commercial operations that rely on illegal shop towel treatments?  ...is it not "snake oil" for such beekeepers to tell others that it isn't hard to keep bees alive as long as one keeps the mites under control...yet they can't demonstrate it being done within the law?

Given that aproximately 1% of the beekeepers manage 99% of the hives (very few of which are neo-hippies living in Brooklyn or CA), what do we blame the high losses industry wide on?  People running a single top  bar hive in their garden? ....or on the management of the professional beekeepers who's business it is to keep the bees alive to pollinate another day?   ...and if these commercial losses can't be blamed as simple bad management, it would be difficult to place that burden on the small hobbyist and make it stick.

...this isn't to say that I think everyone out there is giving advice is giving good advice (I think there is terrible advice and misinformation being shared from many perspectives), but as someone that often (at least feels) grouped in with some of the generalizations that are being tossed around, I think it would be much more productive to look at specific advice given by specific groups/individuals rather than talking about what "they" do.

deknow

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