Last count 735 subscribers -- summer is our low season.

For the sake of privacy and to prevent SPAMming of members, the list of BEE-L
subscribers is kept confidential.  Nonetheless, we know that for every person
who posts to BEE-L, there are ten or more lurkers who maintain BEE-L
subscriptions, and I assume, read at least some of the daily messages.

Who subscribes to BEE-L?  We are a ever-changing international group
representing -- to some extent -- all the continents except Antarctica.  Our
number consistently includes well-known writers and authors, editors,
scientists, extension people, educators, regulators, commercial beekeepers, and
hobbyists -- as well as wanna-bees.

Although most BEE-L posts are routine, the daily flow of messages on BEE-L is a
strong indicator of current areas of interest and concern in the beekeeping
fraternity and quickly reflects changes in industry thought and opinion.  From
time to time, BEE-L posts have had a large influence on opinion in the
beekeeping world or been picked up by the press.

The subjects under discussion vary widely and touch every aspect of beekeeping
from the personal to the technical.  Some topics only come up once and others
are perennial.  A quick glance at the time stamps on any sample of articles
reveals a number of members with consistently nocturnal habits.

Because beekeeping is as much art as science, and because there are few simple
or universally accepted facts in beekeeping, our archive is our FAQ.  The entire
compendium of BEE-L posts for the past decade and more is readily accessible and
easily searchable at http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/BEE-L/, and access there
is simplified by a powerful search engine.

Searching on any keyword will usually reveal a range of opinion from diverse
regions and backgrounds that is far more useful and educational than a simple
statement reflecting one person's idea of truth.  However, for those who enjoy
any one particular contributor's style, the archive search engine will return a
listing of all the BEE-L posts by any member and then deliver any or all of the
articles on demand.

BEE-L is a completely free service in the original spirit and tradition of the
internet.  Everyone is welcome to post to BEE-L.  Detailed information the
culture of BEE-L and the rules of conduct are posted at the above-mentioned site
and should be read by contributors before posting.  Both regulars and newbees
are invited to visit the web page and to spend some time there getting familiar
with the search engine, browsing topics of interest and perhaps reviving an old
thread via the web interface.

The above web page is intended as a complete BEE-L toolkit, and therefore
provides a link that permits members and prospective members to change their
BEE-L subscription options.   Subscriptions can be started, ended, suspended, or
altered simply by filling in a form.  There are a variety of possible ways to
get delivery of BEE-L messages, ranging from real-time single message delivery
to a daily HTML index to activity.  Experimentation is recommended.

allen

http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/