One of the finest pieces of writing I have seen on the BeeL. One passage
stood out for me....

>
> The problem is that people recognize the obvious truths and assume the rest
> is probably true, too.  If it is all couched in a good story or analogy, the
> hook often goes down with the bait.
>
> In my experience, these Pied Pipers are usually quite innocent victims of
> their own misunderstandings and beliefs and that makes them even more
> convincing.  Most do not even realize that they are misreporting their
> present and past.
>

I agree.

I get very upset with the Pied Pipers (the same phrase I use) because of the
potential harm they do to beginning beekeepers.  So I do not have the grace
you display toward them. They do believe their own press to the point of,
when problems come, it is always something other than their song.
I would have more respect for them if they owned up to their failure, but
they don't, leaving no data point to mark their failure.

One of the more instructive times here on the BeeL was when FGMO arrived on
the scene. I was among those who tested it, read the research and worked
with others to see how true its claims were. It was found wanting, but the
true believers on this list fought any disparagement of the technique and
eventually left to found another list. FGMO then went through about 2,000
iterations so it had no similarity to the original technique (because it did
not work).

I checked that list today, and the last post there on FGMO was by three
people who said that FGMO does not work on Varroa and not to try it.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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