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General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #5163  by NigelP
 08 Nov 2019, 15:26
Patrick wrote:
05 Nov 2019, 14:38
Wonder if those 40 heather apiary sites represent locations used seasonally and more historically.

I have heard of folk down with issues of summer drought and heather beetle affecting the viability of transporting hives to the moors. Don't know how true that is in practice.
It did, in several areas the heather was bare and keepers didn't take their bees. Usually these are "let alone" un-managed areas that are worse affected.
One of the moors I'm was quite badly affected by the beetle, but still plenty of pinkk stuff around. The problem this year was the weather in August was atrocious with few flying days. My heather harvest is about 1/3 of what I would normally expect.

And no the 40 apiaries won't include any on the moor I'm on as I have sole access to it at the moment...might include a couple on adjacent moors but I only know of 3 sites elsewhere that are in seasonal use.
 #5167  by MickBBKA
 10 Nov 2019, 00:59
The questionnaire is too invasive. If they want to know how many colonies then that's fine. Specific location is a no no. As far as NBU disease notification is concerned they should send out a blanket email detailing where it has occurred, that will enable all to know if they are in the immediate location or if they need to withhold from transferring colonies to that location. If you had colonies 20 miles away you could move them into an infected area and never know about it. Having looked at an old site of mine on the NBU map it makes it so vulnerable to someone hacking into the NBU server and finding out exactly where my colonies are located.
I am also aware of up to 20 colonies in 3 locations not more than 1 mile from mine that are not on the BBKA or NBU membership.

Its a very flawed count.
 #5169  by Alfred
 11 Nov 2019, 11:55
DianeBees wrote:
08 Nov 2019, 11:44
Alfred wrote:
05 Nov 2019, 08:48
I'm currently being harassed/bullied into registering by the local reps which is sadly for them having the exact opposite effect....

local reps of where?

Why wouldn't you register?


No. of other apiaries within a 10KM radius: 249
Local reps of nbu within local affiliate bka
I don't ever react with compliance to being bullied.
Why would I register when I can get any alert or general info regurgitated by the bka or a thousand other sources online.

My Apiary is just that.
Its private property and there's only room for one old curmudgeon (me)so I wouldn't appreciate anyone inviting themselves around to criticise all my faux pas.
It would take too long...

I don't sell or move my bees,and no one has any control over what they get up to outside the hive.
The NBUu offers nothing of any use to me in return for the level of control it would take.
Perhaps it runs deeper?
I've got to the point in my life where I've paid my dues,done more than my share and I owe no-one anything
I don't plan to change that status.
Rant terminated 1155 hrs
 #5183  by Patrick
 12 Nov 2019, 19:03
Alfred, midnight blood sugar low notwithstanding (!), I have a lot of sympathy with your reaction to being told you must do things. I am not too dissimilar.

In this context the only thing I would say is that once on Beebase there is no way anyone else can accurately locate your hives (i.e. I can't even vaguely locate anyone else's apiaries around me even when i know where they are). Yes NBU inspectors would know you kept bees around where you told them, but in my experience - which is since it was initially set up, they have never considered accessing them without asking me first. This is despite the inspector being a mate of mine and me repeatedly telling him to help himself whenever, he always unfailingly calls first to ask if it is okay and convenient. I am pretty sure that is standard practice as it would be in my professional life.

On the point about them spotting problems - trust me there are always plenty of horrors to find in my apiaries and they don't give you a beekeeping lecture. However bad you think yours are (and I am confident they are fine from the care you obviously take of them) Inspectors will daily see far, far worse than anything you can muster. They will be concentrating instead on what they are there for - which is spotting disease, It is worth pointing out, despite the endless repetition of disease awareness lectures and articles on symptoms to look out for, reportedly 95% of EFB affected hives reported are only spotted by NBU inspectors on visits. So getting the occasional visit and an all clear is nothing but good. To be realistic, the numbers of local inspectors means they are hardly going to be calling you up every week.

if you ask to accompany them on the inspection and ask them to describe what they are seeing, you will usually be learning from practicing beekeepers themselves, who will have encountered more styles of practical beekeeping from hobbyists to commercial than just about anyone else.. From my experience, they certainly do not see their role as telling anyone off.

But of course its entirely your call and for my part, I hope it continues that way.
 #5193  by Alfred
 13 Nov 2019, 19:31
Patrick -if you ran the government the world would be a better place.
Im sure the nbu is a marvellous thing -it only means well.

But so did hitler
Unfortunatly ,aside from this forum, my only experience of other beekeepers has been largely negative(but despite this and my near vertical learning curve Im still just as enthusiastic)

The only experiences I had at the local affiliate were hosted by Mrs Jolly Hockey Sticks herding the newbs around like naughty kids then engaging them as slaves at her frame-assembling enterprise.

She then did practical demos on apideas and snelgrove boards.
Or rather- regurgitated text from the internet,seemingly without actual experience.
The resident bees held up numbered scoreboards and the sherpas on Mt Everest were commenting on that sudden banana-like aroma.

The phrase 'One right way and a hundred wrong ones' springs to mind, and I think by now she must be down to about No87.
But you can bet your bottom dollar she's got all her certificates.
Bless.

Then there was Mr 'Look You Up And Down,Slide My Designer Specs Up My Nose And Turn Away in Disgust' with his sarcastic answers to the hapless newbs 'STUPID' questions. :ugeek:
Little ray of sunshine he was.
Oh, and BTW -apparently you're supposed to leave one capped and one uncapped QC in at all times.
Yes.
Yes you are.

I quickly gave up on their little circle-jerk and decided to go it alone which has been tough.
BUT:
To then get demanding emails from these clowns with terse snotty follow-ups because I didnt immediatly comply really takes the biscuit.
Its not even the fault of the NBU itself.
If they had just asked in a civil matter I mayhave considered registering.
But not now.
Unless Boris makes me.

Ive eaten the bees fondant in case you're wondering. :shock:
 #5198  by Patrick
 15 Nov 2019, 09:37
:D :D

Alfred, with descriptive writing powers like that you should be your next divisional newsletter editor! You ever read Tom Sharpe?

Hilarious but sadly quite believable.
 #5203  by Alfred
 17 Nov 2019, 13:04
I remember the TV version of Blott!