Reading some of the posts, the authors seem more interested in discouraging
than encouraging.

My approach is to ask if they have pets. Most say yes, and I tell them that
beekeeping is lees costly and requires less effort than keeping a pet plus
you get honey. And you can go on vacation and not kennel your hive.

I tell them the beekeepers prime responsibility is to keep the bees healthy
which means control Varroa and keep them well fed. Also it is not like old
time beekeeping which was more set and forget than now which requires an
investment in time and effort. But it is not a daily effort like a pet.
Plus, you will eventually develop a wonderful appreciation for your bees. I
remember when that happened to me. It is a great hobby.

I direct them to one of the many bee schools we have in Maine, I taught at
several and still each at one, and also offer my help which includes visits
to my apiary or phone calls for questions. Some of those calls last a long
time.

My greatest concern is with those pied pipers who sell (to gullible
beekeepers ) their no-treatment bees. One lived next to me and the result
was a lot of dead bees, discouraged beekeepers ("if you had done it "right"
they would have lived" says the seller), and Randy's Varroa bombs. That is
where the real problem rests.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html