My new Law of Good Enough: If everyone in your immediate area of 
expertise has the same results as you then you may be a failure.

When I first started keeping bees I had the same results as everyone I 
knew who kept bees.  All were in the local Chapter of the Maine State 
Beekeepers Association. Hence, I must be doing things correctly. I 
selected for survival and continually got 20 lbs and occasionally 40lbs 
of honey per colony, which was slightly better than most in my area. My 
bees survived winters better than most, but that was between 50-80%, 
while some lost everything.

I became a Board member of the MSBA and eventually the editor of the 
State newsletter. I also joined this list. With the MSBA I learned how 
Tony Jadczak kept bees and on this list, read George Imire's posts and 
got copies of his pink pages for the State newsletter. I took their 
advice and my survival rates went to near 100% (even when the State 
average was 20% one year) and honey production rose to 75-100lbs per 
colony. I now consider 40lbs to be a poor year.

For me, the successful beekeeper has bees that are healthy, produce 
large honey crops and survive well in their area.

If a group settles in on a "proved technique" and all get the same 
results, is it actually the best technique? The group tends to reinforce 
its own prejudices and anything counter to its findings is disregarded. 
It is content with the results and those results may only be one part of 
being a successful beekeeper. Even worse, the results may not even be 
associated with the technique.

I appreciate a rational approach to new ideas which includes more than 
"It works for me." I reject dogma. A little science goes a long way. 
Which is why I have trialled about every one of the new ideas that have 
appeared on this list, including menthol cough drops to kill off 
Tracheal mites.(Only kept them from coughing all winter.) I have a 4.9 
trial going on. I ran my colonies on 5.0 for years, well before Varroa 
and 4.9. So I am not adverse to new ideas, only unproven ones. I have 
seen the folly of investing everything into a sure fire cure for 
whatever and those beekeepers no longer keep bees. Just read the old 
FGMO posts from the beginning. It, in many ways, mirrors today's 
controversies. They all knew it worked since they all had the same 
results and they failed.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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