Big words

[LazyBkpr]

  Yes Mrs. River, The large words were more or less yelling, not in anger, just in frustration.  The one thing I cannot tolerate is an absolute. The frustration stems not so much from here, as it does Real life, and dealing with the NEVER feed your bees, NEVER treat your bees, etc, etc...   absolutes that absolutely do not work, and people want to know why their bees died when they talk to me. It spilled over in here when those absolutes popped up.
    They tell me my bees WILL die if you do this, or that is bad for your bees!    and all of it pertains to things I have learned since I was thirteen, I know how wrong they are, but they are blind. EVEN when they come to ME to buy bees because all theirs died, they still think I am doing it wrong..    Yes, it frustrates me, because the folks spreading the absolutes are the ones that cause the new beekeepers the greatest headache.
   I am guilty of forgetting my own "wisdom"  But Tec reminded me, and I need to get back on the straight and wide...  WIDE  big word, not yelling.. WIDE, because in beekeeping, there are few absolutes when combined with common sense..
    YES, when you pour gasoline on your hives, it will kill all the varroa mites. THAT is an absolute, and it is a universal absolute that spans the entire globe, but it completely disregards the common sense of also killing the bees..   My failing it seems, is in the assumption that most people have a certain amount of common sense..   Dont inhale the OAV, Dont lick the MAQS, etc...     My Common sense is apparently a little different than others..  I have NEVER tried to inhale OAV.. moved downwind and sniffed to see what happened...  but I know many many people that use it, and that was one of the first things they did....
               Are you $%&@*%$ kidding me?

   I am beginning to lose confidence in the human race.  Now were moving toward NOT using fumagilin, because people cant be trusted to use it wisely..   In essence, MY bees are going to die because other people are idiots.

   I have noticed I am becoming too wrapped up in common sense, and knowledge of what works in my situation, and intolerant of anyone telling me it doesnt.  It really shouldnt matter what anyone thinks, I know what works for me, and has been working since my mentor showed me what to do before there was such a thing as a computer or internet. It makes me angry, because those things will be read by people who dont know any better, and they will believe the drivel, and as Tec said in another thread, it will be harder for them to unlearn the garbage before they can learn the right way.
   To be perfectly honest, I have been gullible enough to TRY some of the things some folks said worked..  NO upper ventilation for one, I have a couple dead hives for trying. I'm OK with that, but I shouldnt have tried.  There are other things I have done, and tried..  Most did not end up killing my hives, but did not work as well as what I already do, and know works.
    I need to get back to basics, back to my roots. I need to beg my Mentors ghost for forgiveness, so that he will come back, and sit beside me among the bees, and share that bottle of Rhubarb wine.  I need to stop doing the things that works for other folks, because it doenst always work here.
      I KNOW what works here, and that is the direction I will be moving from here forward, even if there are people who promise me it wont work. Its OK, I can smile and keep my mouth shut, when they come to buy my bees.

   So its time for me to take a break until I can be civil again.  I hope to see you all in the spring!

   Scott

[iddee]

Yep, lazy, it's time for a break until cabin fever is gone. The same as there are untruths on the internet, there are also truths that can't be posted on the internet. If you could see the scars on my tongue from biting it, you would know what I mean. Some things are just better left unsaid.

[Perry]

I remember selling a nuc to a fellow that had a bee hive (1) for around 15 years. It had finally died and he wanted to replace it. I sold him that nuc and the next year he called to say he wanted another nuc as the first one had died. I told him no problem and when he came to pick it up I asked why he thought it had died. I asked him about a mite count and he said he hadn't checked because he didn't want to treat in any event.
I sold him that nuc, sent him on his way with an Apivar strip with instructions on how to use it, and told him that if he wasn't going to use it I would probably see him next year or the year after. We moved a year later so I have no idea how it played out.
People are going to do (or not do) what they feel is right or want, there is no changing that. You can only just be there for them (to sell your bees to).

[riverbee]

scott, i truly 'heard' your frustration, i did, i can appreciate it. i said so. i acknowledged that, give me that,  right?
i do truly understand where you are coming from.  i agree, there are no 'absolutes' in beekeeping. there aren't. there is no right or wrong. there is but what we have to offer in our own experiences  to others to help them along in beekeeping, and open minds and respect for one another for each of our own beekeeping practices. i do, or do my best. i might strongly express how i think or how i practice something, BUT i  ALWAYS keep an open mind,  and i listen to another, and i say how i do it with respect to others and their practices. my practices aren't absolute. and i don't think i tell anyone what is absolute. 

keeping an open mind is a good thing, and it is a good thing for everyone to research and decide for themselves what works best for them through research, mentorship and for those looking for guidance on this forum.

in all honesty scott, i haven't kept bees long enough. i am still learning myself. 

like iddee said, we bite our tongues sometimes.

[brooksbeefarm]

I use to bite my tongue alot when i played mumble peg, but i don't play mumble peg no more. Jack

[Curtchann]

Had to broaden my knowledge, looked up Mumble peg. 

[LogicalBee]

My best advice to newbees (and old bees alike) is to realize the words “bee keeper” and “expert” should never be used together!  If you see the two words together, beware of anything that comes later in the sentence! 

If there was a right way and a wrong way to bee keeping, this hobby would be cut and dry and there would be no need for books and forums. 

[Gypsi]

well Scott I have a temptation to try upper ventilation  I do use some in summer, screened openings or just ditching the telescoping covers for my leaky feeder covers that have #8 hardware cloth on the inside where the jar sits. and without telescoping side, I know they are venting a little.

but in winter I got all fancy 2 years ago and made foam top insulating boards to go in my telescoping covers, and they had #8 hardware cloth stick out points that rested over the opening in the inside cover to allow a little ventilation to slip out. And I didn't lose hives in winter until efb blossomed when the queens started laying, but I got in a hurry after that.  So when I opened my hives on Saturday (when it was 60 degrees) I put one of those fancy insulator boards with the puffed up screen side UP inside the telescoping cover of my largest hive, hoping the moisture will slip around the sides of the styrofoam heading for the cold outer lid.  I'll let you know how that comes out.  With those screened bottom boards of mine with their modified vented stickies, and with our extreme variable weather and my queens are both laying now and heavily, I do NOT want to chill my bees but I sure don't want them dripped on.  And both boxes have a medium above the inner cover with sugar rock over the opening.

and I am not asking for advice because like you, I know what works and a wide open top around here invites trouble, but I have learned to be self directed. This isn't an absolute cure for anything. In texas we have maybe 5 days of winter then it is spring/fall again, so everything is angled for that. But I sure in heck made sure the honey was next to the brood going into this one. On both boxes.  flaky smoker and all.

[LazyBkpr]

   Indeed. i know your not asking for advice, but I cant even add to your post.  Rob uses no ventilation, with his hives and location that works very well for him. Venting my hives works good for me here. In Texas?  I have no clue, but suspect the basics still apply. As you said, not letting them get dripped on.

[Gypsi]

Just having the top insulation means the coldest part of the hive are the sidewalls and water that drips down the side doesn't drip on the cluster, I have a lot of dissipation space in that top medium and a sugar brick over the opening, so my bees are spoiled rotten basically Scott.

I have enough equipment to run 5 to 10 hives, not enough fodder for 2 due to drought and I baby the daylights out of them.  But the robbing is so severe due to drought and dearth anything that involves an opening a bee can get through is a big no no for me. 

so I use space and discrete ventilation and redirecting of moisture instead.  this is called I am bored and need to go back to work, so I'm playing with the bees and waiting for spring, but also making sure I don't lose another to heat loss and starvation now that they have all that brood.
they are flying this afternoon, it snowed this morning.   Texas breaks all the rules

... Have a good day