Thank you members!

[Perry]

Just a personal note from myself and I am sure I speak for the rest of the "gang" (mods and admin).
There is something happening here lately that I have noticed and I just wanted to show my appreciation by saying thank you. I have noticed of late that many members are now pitching in with answers to the questions that arise each and every day. It seems the days of relying on mods, admin, or "old hats" for answers is shifting and the membership at large has stepped up confidently, offering their experiences and advice and I have to say I love it!

You folks are taking the pressure off, many hands make short work, broad(er) shoulders carry more, etc. etc.
It is greatly appreciated. Mods and Admin have it pretty easy with this group, thank you.

[Jen]

That is good news Perry. Even tho I've been on this forum for 5-6 years, I still find myself asking many of the same questions, repeatedly, especially when bee season is ramping up in the spring and I have forgotten ... No Wait... Need to be refreshed on bee stuff ... 

I'm sure enjoying this newer group of members and adding them to those of us that have been around since the beginning. It's a comfortable, laid back environment where we are all learning together ~ Still love it here

[Nugget Shooter]

It is a good and helpful environment.... Good job. 

[neillsayers]

My fear is that I'll mess somebody up!

[Perry]

My fear is that I'll mess somebody up!

Bees are very forgiving, they have survived without our "help" for an awful long time. We all worry when offering advice but I also think most folks realize that those that offer advice do so with only the best of intentions.

[Wandering Man]

Well, I really messed someone up last week.

They asked me to remove some bees from a house.  I made the mistake of asking him if he'd thought about keeping the bees.

Wasn't until later that I learned he was recently unemployed, had 7 kids and had $300 to his name.

I tried to suggest that he let me give the bees to someone else, rather than paying me to remove them.  He got angry, and told me nevermind, he was going to do the removal himself.

By this time, he'd already bought a smoker and veil, and had built his own box, but no frames.  He'd also spent two days watching videos on YouTube and had become passionate about the bees.

I hope he did the removal Okay, and that he didn't spend his grocery money on bee equipment.

I guess, while it's nice to get someone get started in the hobby, you have to be careful about over-selling.

[efmesch]

Wandering Man--think of the upside---you just started a man in a new business.  He'll start benefitting from it when he first supplies his family with honey and later on makes money by selling it.

As to Perry's comments---I'm in full agreement.  Beekeeping questions can have more than one answer  ("There's more than on way to skin a cat") and having a lot of members handing out advice from their knowledge and experience is a blessing to us all.

[LazyBkpr]

I have skinned a lot of cats, and I hope I get to skin a lot more. Bees usually fix the things we mess up, and people usually fix their mistakes when THEY mess up. Where there is a will there is a way. I think I could figure out how to make a langstroth box work with top bars only if I had no other choice.
   Every day I am amazed when I meet other beekeepers. Even those who share a very different view on life, religion or politics, we can still get along and talk bees.

[Barbarian]

I often read a new thread and think I could reply with help or a slant.

Recently, I have stepped back and waited. Most often someone will post the reply I was going to make. I can always later post some different views to the replies that are submitted.

[Nugget Shooter]

A big part of my learning process is to simply read a post by someone looking for advise and try to get what I would think the correct solution in my head and then wait for the more experienced beeks to speak up. I remember well this way and it gives me the confidence to try to pay the knowledge forward, what little I have anyway  Experience is a great teacher as well and I try not to pretend to know more than I have myself experienced with my bees, after all we have all read the books, but real live beekeeper experience is what we seek here when asking for advise and boy there are some good experienced folks here.... 

[neillsayers]

A big part of my learning process is to simply read a post by someone looking for advise and try to get what I would think the correct solution in my head and then wait for the more experienced beeks to speak up. I remember well this way and it gives me the confidence to try to pay the knowledge forward, what little I have anyway  Experience is a great teacher as well and I try not to pretend to know more than I have myself experienced with my bees, after all we have all read the books, but real live beekeeper experience is what we seek here when asking for advise and boy there are some good experienced folks here.... 

Hear Here! I couldn't agree more!

[vvand111]

Thank you specifically Perry.  You bring a common sense quality to some pretty stressful situations us newbes find ourselves in.  I am beginning to get to a point of less stress and no panic because of the amount of experience that you have shared so often.

My experience on this forum has been really really good.   

[LazyBkpr]

Thank you specifically Perry.  You bring a common sense quality to some pretty stressful situations us newbes find ourselves in.  I am beginning to get to a point of less stress and no panic because of the amount of experience that you have shared so often.

My experience on this forum has been really really good.

Well said!