Randy wrote:

>Pretty tough judgment on your part Pete. I'm no vegan, and certainly not a Jainist.  I draw the line at parasites, and have no love for polio, smallpox, or >varroa.  But I do treat my bees as respectfully and ethically as possible.

I serve on the Planning Board in my community, and recently we were going over the Master Plan.  This version includes sections about controlling 'invasive species.'  I commented that, as a beekeeper (myself maintaining an invasive species) I love Purple Loosestrife and Japanese Knotweed, and would much rather see language on better control of Poison Ivy and ticks, but it fell on deaf ears.

While I have no fondness for our society's love of over-regulation (and my career has been in an FDA-regulated universe), it does strike me as odd that so little is required/expected to keep a creature that can negatively impact those around us (swarms in houses, stings, bees in pools, etc.).  But, I don't know where the happy medium lies.

Long long ago, in a galaxy far far away, when I decided to get into beekeeping, I had the dumb luck to decide to start with a nuc.  When I arrived at the seller's home, I found out that it was not just sitting there, waiting for me to pick up.  Instead, we donned out veils and he took me out to one of his yards, where we proceeded to build the nuc by pulling frames (and queen) from a colony.  He showed me all stages of bee development and had me put the frames in the nuc.  It was both terrifying and fascinating, and the experience cemented my love of beekeeping, which has survived these 20+ years of success and frustration.  It was the best introduction to this special world I could have had.

Fast forward to the present.  As I mentioned in another post, I lost a couple of hives very late.  Rather than do splits, I decided to pick up a couple of packages.  As an aside, has anyone else noticed how many places are STILL advertising the availability of packages?  Methinks the bee craze is finally waning and the supply now exceeds the demand, at least at the hobby level.  Anyway, when I picked up my packages (which were plastic, when did THAT happen?), I was one in a long line of people waiting to get their order.  It was an interesting experience, funny and sad at the same time.  There were people wearing veils and gloves.  There were people carrying their packages, like they were containers of nitroglycerin or enriched uranium.  There were people staring into the open hatches of their shiny SUVs clearly thinking, "We're driving home with thousands of stinging insects in our vehicle?  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!"  The lack of knowledge/experience in that crowd was palpable.  But, the seller, despite having a half dozen helpers, was clearly maxed out just trying to distribute the bees, so I don't blame him.  In a lot of ways, it's no different than the way they sell baby chicks at every supply store in town.  How many of those little creatures will make it to egg-laying age?

And, while I think clubs are a great idea, they are not the be(e) all and end all, either.  When I started, I joined the largest one in the state.  I still remember going to an apple orchard to learn how to 'control varroa.'  The technique taught was the use of vegetable oil on napkins.  Not a condemnation, just saying that quantity (as in a group of experts) does not necessarily mean quality (of information).

Rereading what I just typed, I guess my conclusion is that nothing beats mentoring, preceded by a LOT of reading.  First learn the theory, then learn the real world from someone, whose track record at least implies practical knowledge, and take everything else with a large grain of salt.  Even the above.

Bill
Claremont, NH US

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