From: Dave " Dee where are the 5000 followers when this discussion comes up? Are they mostly people with a few hives that practice treatment free beekeeping, loose all of their bees, and then disappear, but are never removed from the membership list."
Every time I hear the 5,000 quoted my eyes roll invountarily. Yes, I am one of the 5,000. I'm a subscriber to that list and half a dozen other lists/sites.
Don't call me a follower though. I subscribe because occasionally, just occasionally, an interesting news source or resource or other info is posted, and occasionally, just occasionally, I spot a New Zealander I'd be interested in talking to. Much the same level as my participation in several other lists.
I do know of five other kiwi subscribers around. Three were first season newbies - 1-3 hives, all vim and vigour, but never quite got around to trying small cell (although they were certain it worked) - whether two of the three have bees now I'm not sure, but the third does and is 'conventional' still.
A fourth tried it via natural cell (at least they thought they would achieve small cell that way), and doesn't have bees anymore (presumably varroa + inexperience).
The fifth is an experienced beekeeper in a relatively isolated area which does not have varroa as yet (or may now/in the near future, but didnt' when I spoke to him a couple of years ago). I understand (third hand info) that he had about 50 hive and lost 45 of them after going to small cell - this happened without varroa in the picture. Current status I'm not sure of.
For my part, sideliner commercial running 70 hives, always keeping an eye out for new information, but definitely not a "follower".
So, half a dozen there.. a fair representation of the 5,000? I have no idea.
And one last, who I am not sure is a subscriber, is a very experienced and reasoned beekeeper who is simply giving it a go with a few hives - he's urban/semi-rural, exposed to varroa and population pressures that would reasonably represent my area and much of our country. He's a critical thinker with no dog in the fight, and frankly his observations, of the group I have mentioned, are the ones I will be interested in.
regards
Dee (ain't that a co-inky-dink!) Corbett
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
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