Well, yesterday I visited one of my bee yards in Beekmantown, NY. Preparing
to open the first colony, I noticed some twigs and leaves protruding from
between the supers and top brood box. Hmm...and then I opened the hive. The
space between the supers and brood was filled with sticks, twigs, leaves,
and dirt. What the....I cleaned the mess, finished the inspection, and
moved on. Next colony....same thing. I looked around the yard. Many
colonies had the same refuse. One had a stick...must have been 3/4" in
diameter...between the boxes. Then I found...the last straw. A piece of an
apple crate...4" x 6." The supers wouldn't even fit down onto the brood
box...certainly noticeable to anyone who bothered looking. I found a yellow
sticker...from the New York inspection department.

        So, obviously, the NY inspector had removed the supers, and placed them
down...flat...in the dirt. Cute!!! These colonies had half filled supers,
and were full of bees. I can only imagine...until next week when I
check...how many queens he killed.

        You wonder why people don't want the inspectors to show up? I work damn
hard to make a living with my bees, and I don't need some GD novice
inspector, who doesnt know how to handle bees, screwing up. Is the
inspection program so short on help that they can't hire knowledgeable
help? I'm so p...t off my hands are shaking.

        Sorry to vent here, but the inspectors phone is busy, or he's out of
town...ruining some other's bees. Anyone else have inspector stories that
might make me feel better?

Mike

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