>>>> I think it is irresponsible, as brand-new beekeepers
>>>> often/usually don't even realize what they are getting or what
>>>> they should do with it. The only solution I see is to promote
>>>> the purchase of packages instead.

> Would it not be more helpful to tell purchasers of nucs to change a
> couple of old combs out each year?? I, for one, think it is far, and
> I mean, far better to start from a split or nuc than a package.....

We have been around this topic quite a few times and I doubt we'll
change anyone's mind.  Those who teach beginner courses have their own
priorities related to how courses are arranged and run and see
beekeeping from that perspective.  That perspective tends to bleed
through to the students.

The rest of us have a variety of experiences that may cause us to reach
different conclusions as will the climate and timing of flows where we live.

It seems to me that many of the people who teach beginner courses tend
to be focussed on their own priorities and schedules and on simplifying
everything down to a one-size-fits-all formula and less on on
considering the many possibilities, individual needs, preferences,
resources and capabilities of the class members.  There also appears to
be an assumption that honey production is the goal.

There are good reasons for this.  For one, a class necessarily runs at a
specific time, partly to assemble enough people to make it viable, and
if everyone does the same thing at the same time and has all the same
equipment, the task is much easier than if everyone does something
different.  The timing imposed by package and nuc availability and
practicality dictates a deadline that makes assembling the numbers
necessary for a class easier. The cookie-cutter approach makes
everything more manageable for the teacher.

We also might want to, at some other time, contemplate the reasons one
would undertake teaching a course, and the level of expertise, field
experience, and motives of those presenting beekeeping courses.  I'm not
going to try to cover that topic in this post, but it is a very
interesting subject, and the profile of the typical teacher will very
much determine the biases and outlook of subsequent cohorts of 'graduates'.

There are many influences that affect how presenters see beekeeping and
what is taught.  These include the influence of their own learning
experiences, teachers and mentors and the influence of writers of books,
magazines and Internet sources selected for reading as well as whether
they have something to sell, whether it be equipment or bees, or an agenda.

Underlying a presenter's basic world outlook and directing the choices
and beliefs are their upbringing, personality, education, politics,
current place of residence and the circumstances of their initial
exposure to beekeeping.

I am sure a son or daughter growing up in a commercial or sideline
beekeeping family will have an entirely different perspective from
city-dweller who was first exposed through media or a local club.

I can assure readers that it would never occur to my son or daughter to
buy a 'beginner kit' and packages and go through all the hassle and risk
of starting from scratch.  Ugggh.

In fact, my daughter is moving and says, "Can you just bring a hive over
once we settle in?"  She is not even considering restricting herself to
beginning in a specific seasonal window or fooling around assembling
things.  She can get an established hive at any time of year, and if I
did not have one to spare, she would just call around and find a
beekeeper with one to spare.

I sold singles to people, including beginners this year who are fed up
with their package experience and just want to have an established hive
of bees.  I tell people to call me if they have any problems.  So far
all the feedback is positive.  I keep expecting someone to express
disappointment about something or report failure, but so far so good. Of
course, I tell people up front what they are getting and that as with
anything in agriculture, some variation is normal, as is hive death,
disease and famine, so be aware and ask for help if anything looks wrong.

I see the decision of how to start bees as being similar to the choice a
gardener makes when deciding between buying bedding plants and growing
from seed (except that starting from a package is not cheaper than
buying a nuc or a single).  Gardeners typically do some of both, as some
plants need an early start and special conditions that are best left to
the pros in most cases.  Others grow rapidly and easily from seed.  When
you buy bedding plants, you are buying the soil, too and possible
disease , pests, pesticides, etc..

For newbies, obviously buying a blooming plant, digging a hole, planting
and watering it is going to be the rapid road to immediate and
predictable success compared to growing from seed.  Similarly, buying an
established hive gets immediate and predictable results.

This question is also similar to the decision of whether to make a cake
from scratch or from a mix.  They both work equally well, and it is just
a matter of taste.

So, again, I am suggesting that there are many ways to start bees, from
catching swarms as I did, to buying packages and building hives from
kits (or raw logs, which I did), to buying established hives, which I
also did.  Different strokes...

To me it is clear.  Buying a hive that is up and running and can be had
at any time of year and learning to manage it is by far the easiest,
and often the cheapest, especially if a mentor is at hand.

Although packages are considered to be uniform, in fact they often are
not and can vary as much as nucs.  Moreover, they dictate timing and are
perishable.  While it often does not matter if you pick up a locally
produced nuc or single on a date chosen far in advance, a package will
come on schedule whether you are ready or not and may have been shaken
days or a week before. Once you receive it, the clock is ticking.  Your
schedule is dictated by the package.  With a nuc or single, that is not
the case.

Some learn by taking courses, some by reading, and some by doing.

Horses for courses.

---
It works in practice.  Why can't it work in theory?

Allen Dick
Swalwell, Alberta, Canada
51°33'37.58"N  113°18'54.24"W
Semi-retired - 40+ years keeping bees - 4500 hives max
Currently running 70 hives
Hives for sale year-round
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/

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