Beekeeping is experiencing tremendous growth but is the SBA growing at the same rate ??
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Beekeeping is experiencing tremendous growth but is the SBA growing at the same rate ??
Hi DR,
In our association we have had a large number of new beekeepers over the last few years. This is after an agressive advertising campaign by the committee as it was thought the currrent members were getting on a bit. Although we are now getting newer and younger members we are also turning over a large number of people even though we have been able to supply bees to every new member who has requested them, organised various training courses and every new member has been appointed a mentor. Our association should looking why this is happening. The people who join the SBA seem to be the ones who have been a beekeeper for a number of years.
One possible solution would be for the SBA to provide support material on why you should join the SBA (I don't just mean a pile of membership forms) to the Area reps who visit each association to sell the SBA
Do you think all local association members should automatically become SBA members?
What proportion of local association members actually subscribe to the SBA?
Does anyone feel as I do that the magazine although improved is still way behind the likes of Beecraft.
Should the magazine be available as a full colour online version which might attract members.
If there was a lively market in bees advertised in the magazine would more people join
How about discounted purchases with tokens printed in the magazine
Should the SBA abandon printing its own magazine and approach Beecraft who are now independent and have them print a Scottish edition?
When the SBA print surveys do the members get enough opportunities to participate??
I can remember several where the only people polled were in local associations does that make sense ??
If the SBA had a breeding program which could meet the members needs for queens would that encourage people to subscribe.
Does the SBA sometimes just use the members numerical presence to claim support for stances they adopt without consultation?
I mean here things like the SBA submission to the Scottish Government consultation on bee planning where they cited one of the problem factors as "global warming" ????
Anyone in Scotland noticed global warming ?? I haven't
Taking Jon's point a few years ago I looked at the SBA membership figures and there was definite signs of a revolving door syndrome where members joined and the left the following year that points to a fairly serious problem would it be a good idea to ask them why ??
Sometimes less is more when it comes to asking people questions.
Any organisation that covers a rather tricky craft, where the difficulties surface a year or two later, is going to lose a proportion of the new members.
There has been endless debate on changing the magazine and folk come back to the value for money of the current arrangement. Go down the BBKA route and it will cost people twice as much, plus you lose the ability of the organisation to communicate adequately with the members.
SBA and consultation. This generally happens at the Council meeting in the autumn. Can you think of a better way? I think that there is an aspiration to revisit the organisation's stance on GM crops and the alignment the SBA has made with anti-GM campaigning groups at the next one. There should be a period of debate on such things with the membership beforehand. Will it happen in the magazine, or on here, or both?
Isn't global warming a big problem? Our mean temperature has gone up a degree C or two and that will just accelerate. That might be OK for Scotland but not for humanity.
Breeding programmes will never come from the SBA. That's one for localism.
The SBA used to run on the same lines as the English BBKA but abandoned it decades ago. Much better this way. Yes, you have fewer members but they are committed rather than cajoled.
A Scottish edition of BeeCraft would be daft. Might as well make the SBA the Scottish branch of the BBKA.
I think that the voluntary nature of the SBA office bearers is a good thing. We're 1/10 the size of the English equivalent but that must reflect the numbers of beekeepers in the two places. Having Suits in charge, as the BBKA does, doesn't make for better governance or greater attention to the membership.
OK, your premise above made some assumptions but I'm short of data so haven't voted. What size is the membership? Has the recent proportional increase been similar to the BBKA's? What allowance do we make for the greater commitment it takes to be an SBA member?2
Well said Drone Ranger. A lot of good questions in there. Would be interesting to hear the answers from the membership as I for one would like to see a more active SBA.
I know that the new man at the top, Phil, is looking for ideas so anything you can suggest will be listened to carefully. If you are lucky he may even come on here and discuss it.
Not really Gavin I'm trying to simulate a debate on what we the SBA membership think.
I wasn't expecting you as admin to have to answer a series of questions ?
what are other organisations doing lets hear from them as well
You are not seriously suggesting that global warming is affecting bees in Scotland are you??
That's what the SBA told the Scottish Government
They also called for compulsory registration of beekeepers in Scotland that's a long way on from asking Local assoc. members to join the SBA
For those like me who are not within a local association area, direct membership is not an extra but an only. I am not currently a member, despite the fact that I wish to join and have a metaphorical blank membership form filed in my metaphorical pending tray ready to convert into physical fact. The reason is that if I join now I would pay full annual subscription for only 3 months membership. I can scarcely afford membership at all, but certainly I have to wait until January. And for other folk such a wait might actually lead to them changing their mind. Indeed I might myself, if only because of new pressures on finances.
I have no experience of associations, but I do wonder if in many cases they might be quite content with attracting their own membership, and have little interest in promoting membership of SBA. Perhaps they might be incentivized?
I believe SBA needs to modernize, by as far as practicable changing to a virtual organization, with electronic news and magazines (electronic download for members only, and old editions available to all) , and making much more use of mediums like this forum. Certainly its own website could be a great deal more attractive and easier to get around.
As far as print magazines, there is a well-established model in newspapers with regional editions (or with regional inserts); or the magazines of professional institutions which in many cases have been externalized but on terms which give the institution an 'official' institution segment. Beecraft could be used in this way. However I believe that could end up giving an impression of a small and weak SBA.
Like others, I would myself prefer a smaller tighter organisation of the committed and experienced volunteer rather than a mass membership organisation. Yes that does have implications for finances, but that reinforces the need to use electronic media to best effect.
I would suggest that SBA could source and organize knowledge and expertise and seek grants to support the work of local associations. However the actual delivery of for example of bee-raising programmes, workshops or visits - anything practical and involving people really meeting and working together - should happen at a local level. That said, there must be others like me who are outwith the reach of local assocations, and I think SBA could have a role to play in nurturing these isolated beekeepers, who may offer great potential in terms of bio-security, or stimulating newcomers to beekeeping in that area and the possible formation of new local associations.
All of which you can dismiss if you wish, me not yet being a member either of an association or SBA!
Quite the opposite its people like yourself that the SBA needs to recruit so what you think is very very important.
As for smaller and more committed I'm not sure about that because the SBA is a charity who's stated aims include this which I have copied from the constitution and rules
3.2 A Brief History
3.2.1 The Founding of the Scottish Beekeepers’ Association
(Condensed from Mrs. Una A. Robertson’s article “Bees, Books and Beekeepers” in “The Scottish Beekeeper”, June 1993.)
The Minutes say: ‘THE SCOTTISH BEEKEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION was founded on the 25th.May 1912, to unite the beekeepers of Scotland, for their mutual benefit, in a national confederation and to promote, by the concerted action of its members, the extension and general advancement of bee-keeping throughout the land.
That to me implies the widest possible membership :)
In addition they stated to local associations
3.4.3 New Members
Every member of your Local Association should be encouraged to become a Full Member of the SBA.
We are moving toward the Centenary of the SBA but are we moving further away from its founding principles ??
Just a bit of background from someone who sat on the Executive for two years but is off it now. There were voices raised (not many, but they were influential at the time) for a major hike in subscriptions. Other professional organisations have high subscriptions so we should have too was the argument, without any great thought as to what the money should be spent on. If Neonach's view is common (and I suspect that it is) then note should be taken of that.
Al, the webmaster, has been soldiering on bravely whilst making clear his intention to hand on the role to someone else. Now this and other positions are being advertised. Significant improvement in the web presence will only follow after enthusiastic new folk with specialist skills come on board. A word of warning here - sometimes organisations try too hard to modernise without properly understanding what they are doing. Look at the terrible mess the BBKA made of integrating their new web site with the old forum.
One delightful feature of this forum has been the interest it has generated in those far-flung places that the SBA was always struggling to reach. That reaching out to the membership right across the country is something that needs to be strengthened. The convention moves around the country but I have raised the possibility of there being other regional meetings, perhaps of the type that is designed for the local associations. For those who don't know, on the morning of the annual Council meeting (to decide SBA policy) there is a Local Association secretaries meeting at which local association secretaries and their guests from their associations debate topics raised. This is an excellent way of bringing about more local involvement, and the sharing of experience widely available in the country. Sometimes the discussion could be focussed better on the needs of local associations but this really depends on the chair on the day.
I really like the idea of a regional insert with the magazine. I get one with the Scottish Wildlife Trust magazine. This could be something for the local area representatives who - in my view - could be used better. A related point perhaps is that the Executive is large. It should make more use of technology to conduct its own business and I think that it would make more progress if it was slimmed down, perhaps for some of the regular meetings.
If the magazine was hived off somehow the association would be seriously weakened and would have to re-invent one, just as the BBKA is doing with its newsletter so it seems (no personal experience as I'm not a member). Bad move, thankfully highly unlikely.
On DL's points, I think that the SBA has made serious attempts to be democratic and seek the views of the membership although it is also driven to some extent by the views held by individuals on the Executive. I remember a good open debate and votes on the SBA's attitude to the evolving Scottish Honeybee Health Strategy - which came out with an overwhelming majority in favour of the compulsory registration DL mentioned (I was one of the few voting against). All such decisions come in the circumstances of the time and a year or two later the membership might think differently. Of course, if you don't go to the meetings you wouldn't get to take part! At the level of interest the forum attracts on a regular basis it will be a long time before this medium can be considered an alternative to in-person debates of that kind.
This isn't the thread to go off on a long tangent on global warming but there is good evidence already that Scotland's climate has more extremes of weather now that man is undoubtedly warming the planet with greenhouse gases. Maybe the shift in mean temperature has not been deleterious to bees, but the increasing extremes of wind and wet are.
In what way? Simply by not encouraging enough LA members to be SBA members too? We do ... and even the benefit of the free Compensation and Insurance cover alone justifies that if anyone hesitates.
We don't demand that those in our beginners class also become SBA members, but encourage it. I had a hard enough struggle getting the committee to agree to push the fee up to £20 to cover the £10 for ESBA membership!
As a member of both the BBKA and the SBA, here's my tuppence. Though I'll have to hold my hands up and say that in day to day life I have precious little contact with either organisation. In the case of the BBKA this is largely deliberate on their part, day to day stuff is the Local Association's remit and they're not interested in it. In the case of the SBA, well Bristol is a little more than just South of Aberdeen but I do value my membership for the magazine and this website as much as anything else.
Regarding Beecraft, I actually think that the Scottish Beekeeper Magazine is better than Beecraft though I think they've been a little stabbed in the back via the BBKA's newsletter revamp which appears to be trying to muscle in on Beecraft's territory. Also worth a mention that their Electronic version, in my opinion, is a complete train wreck, it was so bad that I cancelled my sub and asked for the paper version back as it's more flexible, go figure.
The other problem I have with bee craft as a publication is that the more experienced I get, the less relevant I find the information within it. I'm already down to a subscription every other year as I found last year that much of the content in bee craft I already knew or could easily get from other sources. I don't need "here's how you do an artificial swarm" from my magazine when I can ask, and get an answer in seconds, on numerous forums and websites around the internet.
Gavin raises a valid point about "modernising" for the sake of doing so without giving consideration to what's being modernised and why it's being done, the BBKA website being a prime example of that and the electronic version of bee craft for that matter.
Global warming is certainlya subject in its own right, but is nonethless relevant to the question of SBA membership.
SBA could do a lot worse than ally itself with bodies and projects that promote positive action in the face of global warming, but definitely not with the prophets of doom.
Many people have become more aware of bees, or take an interest in beekeeping, or have in fact started to keep bees, because they see a healthy thriving bee population as both indispensible to and a key indicator of a healthy natural environment. They may not necessarily be able to articulate that clearly or act consistently with that understanding, but the concern is nonetheless real - as is the hope they can do something practical. They may see beekeeping as potentially part of a new liefstyle and modified (or rediscovered?) personal or family values which they feel will best promote the future of their children and the world as we know it. Of course there are still many people who keep bees simply because it is fun, fascinating, relaxing or economically worthwhile. SBA could perhaps carry out a survey to learn more, and then work to get resources channeled accordingly. I would expect concern over climate change to be a very significant factor for many newcomers. As with all new ventures, there's excitement and enthusiasm and SBA should do its utmost to capture that and direct it to best effect. Opportunities to meet others beginners to share experiences, experts to learn from, so that is a growing, positive experience - and fun too!
It goes without saying, surely, that SBA needs to connect direct members with local associations, and those who have contact first with local association with SBA. Perhaps SBA could offer membership of local association as a bolt-on at a reduced amount, and vice-versa.
Thanks for the posts Gavin points well made all
I suspect you are correct that the SBA is not ready for a jump into the 21st century technology.
How many commitee members are here on the forum debating the issue ??
I am sure you want the SBA to fulfill its mission to be an organisation which represents and includes the existing beekeepers in Scotland.
The magazine if it had an online version could be much more colourful and dynamic
The new Ed seems to be moving away from the letters to the editor arguments
Just as well really because of the timing issues replies to letters were 2 months later then the original
I have a beecraft subscription and an online one invaluable when you want to look something up
The previous editor resented some of my critisism of the mag and comparisons with Beecraft
His reply was such an innaccurate portrayal of Beecraft that their editor of that magazine wrote to Scottish Beekeeper correcting him
The beecraft editor also offered to freely disclose any experience they had in publishing and attracting contributors etc
As far as I know that offer was not explored
I understand the difficulty in getting the East of Scotland Beekeeping Assoc members to also take membership of SBA but should that not just come at a much discounted top up of say £5 Neonach has already identified this
I think discount vouchers in the mag and a good healthy bees available section are key
Product reviews or diy projects not reviews of Local Assoc meeting etc
THe new Ed had made progress but the magazine was better in the 1930's and 40's during the great depression and the second world war than it is even now
Regional insert yes please the conditions are so varied around the country that would be very helpful
Nellie were you a subscriber to the Scottish Beekeeper mag when they used to print 5 page rants about GM crops
Its only recently the Editor has stopped 4 and 5 page long rants in favour of flooding the country with swarms
You will never have read anything written in that way in Beecraft
Would you welcome colour printing in the Scottish Beekeeper or is black and white better
How about a picture better than a thousand words (not if you can't print them it isn't)
Take your point about beginners articles but they do lots of other stuff
Both sides of the breeding for resistance argument for instance
Sorry don't mean to advertise their mag its just the production value and content is better.
Scottish beekeeper obviously has greater relevance to beekeeping in Scotland
Gavin for webmaster 1 vote(mine)
I saw the repeats on here I think.
I don't actually want to sound too critical on Beecraft, it served me very well in my first year, the problem was in second year it was still serving first year beekeepers well and not really doing a huge amount new that I couldn't obtain by reading last year's copy. What was then interesting to me was an article here or there but that wasn't really justifying the subscription. I read an article here or there and skim others in Beecraft. I just find that in terms of what I want, Scottish Beekeeper and the BBKA newsletters (prior and post revamp) serve me better than Bee Craft.Quote:
You will never have read anything written in that way in Beecraft
It doesn't bother me, but I think perhaps I want something different from Scottish Beekeeper than you do.Quote:
Would you welcome colour printing in the Scottish Beekeeper or is black and white better
How about a picture better than a thousand words (not if you can't print them it isn't)
Granted, but they seem to have a heavy emphasis on beginner's beekeeping techniques. I'm not being critical of that and some of their supporting material is excellent, but I find it hard to justify £20 a year for 75%+ stuff I already know. I'm not so much interested in the general beekeeping technique 101 anymore I want a publication that takes a step up from that point and in many respects the Scottish Beekeeper does provide that (amongst others)Quote:
Take your point about beginners articles but they do lots of other stuff
Both sides of the breeding for resistance argument for instance
I think here's the perfect place to have such a discussion to be perfectly honest and I won't argue with you over the production value or, depending what you want from a publication its content. Beecraft has a place for sure though I'm surprised at just how poor it's online version is when you compare it to a subscription to, for argument's sake, the Guardian which as an online publication experience is a million miles away for a 10th of the price. That's the benchmark of any online publication that I've tried (and paid for).Quote:
Sorry don't mean to advertise their mag its just the production value and content is better.
Scottish beekeeper obviously has greater relevance to beekeeping in Scotland
Nellie I've had articles printed in both the mags
heres how they differed
Beecraft read the article,said they were interested, edited and reformated it, resized photo's etc, reworded and massaged, then sent the reformatted version back to me for approval before going to print
Scottish Beekeeper took the article said they would print it stripped out all the photographs formatted it into the usual two collumns of text and went straight to print
Needless to say it was a shadow of the original and hard to follow in places even for me and I wrote it.
Things might be better now but I could only ever submit a text only article to the Scottish beekeeper mag, and that discourages me, and I suspect people much better suited than me, from making the effort.
Hence they always seem to be struggling to fill the mag in recent years it was often little more than a collection of snips from the internet
Could be and maybe the SBA need to look at how they fund, and what they want from the SB.
There is a fundamental difference between the two. Beecraft you have to pay for, they need to deliver quality, SB comes with the subscription. Yes it should be interesting and be of a higher standard than a couple of sheets of A4, but there has to be a cost element involved in that too. I was paying £20 a year for bee craft, I pay what? The same for my entire membership of SBA.
I don't know what they pay the editor of SB, but I'd hazard a guess that it's not a full time job while I'll also go out on a limb and suggest that bee craft must be paying a few editorial if not administrative staff to do the work to get the magazine published.
Like all SBA posts the editor gets no remuneration but only hassle from the disgruntled.
As I said, the magazine has been repeatedly discussed, including at meetings of the membership, and I think that the new editor needs some peace on that front.
He could perhaps benefit from a helpful team around him to share the various burdens including the kind of editing functions that DL described for Bee Craft.
LOL! Yes you did, but the repeats were the condensed versions. I'm cautious what I say now in case I'm accused of using the forum to air my own opinion too much, but the SBA lost a lot of respect in those years ... and at the same time polarised the membership. Some loved the muck-stirring, others bemoaned the lack of clear thought. It didn't have to be like that. It is time to shed the negative attitude and move ahead, informed and well-argued. I hope. However the business that caused me to resign was essentially more of the same. An inability to look at the facts and think about the reality rather than going on a gut reaction. And even going with a scientist going on gut reaction too, what a total nonsense.
Yeah, thanks DL. I've made it plain that I'm not going back on the Executive while they are engaged in a wasteful and ill thought out venture with a scientist who doesn't know what he's doing. I prefer to be out and therefore free to criticise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Droney
Feel free to advertise Bee Craft by the way. As long as it doesn't advertise imports :p My subscription lapsed and I don't miss it greatly.
DL you are absolutely right about the quality of the Scottish Beekeeper over time. It has had its ups and downs ... hopefully it is on the up again. That depends on a willingness to reject substandard stuff and encourage better-quality pieces.
You got any stuff on ley lines?
No, I'll leave that to Roger. Did have a hive affected by alien abduction once though ;)
Crystals?
The secret power of the Pyramid Hive.
oooo.
It's got so ridiculous nowadays I'm surprised no-ones trying to push it.
Actually thats what they wrote to the previous SB editor about He was convinced they had a large full time staff he was very wrong :)
The previous editor in a reply to my moans said he edited the magazine after everything else in life had been attended to (presumably after the cat was put out for the night)
I wasn't overly impressed he took the job because he wanted it not at gunpoint so it's not unreasonable to expect some commitment even from a volunteer.
The new ED is actually editing the mag which is great, there are more photo's etc but he needs a better vehicle than the one we have if advertisers and contributors are to appear regularily.
How would the Scottish Beekeeper magazine cope with an article on cell punching?? not well I think
How would Beecraft ??
Hey that guy aint so dumb tonto thinks 1.8mil of funding that will do nicely sir :)
I hated the years of ranting and complained once every couple of years to be told I was unpatriotic ungrateful and a nuisance -- thats about right I thought
Beecraft--Now they are not writing about their own past editors and Bulgaria etc all the time it has really raised its game (I think)
Scottish Beekeeper A4 full colour ?? we can hope
I didn't say large. If you tell me they don't have a full time editor and full time administrator then my flabber will be gasted for sure :) And I dare say they aren't paying freelancers £230 per 1,000 word article which is the going rate for magazines like BeeCraft according to the NUJ.
Goodness, if the SB was similar (which it isn't) I could have afforded a *much* better car (or bicycle). Now that we're talking cash, Bee Craft must be raking in maybe £0.5m annually on subscriptions alone (guessing off the top of the head on numbers of subscribers). Plus advertising. What does it do with all that cash if it isn't employing staff? Can't cost *that* much to print and send the thing, can it?
Have you not noticed that some versions of TBHs are actually like inverted pyramids in cross-section? I think where they have gone wrong is that cross-section isn't enough, it has to be the full 3D object. And the right way up. For me, that explains why some of the main proponents have such trouble with losing hives due to Varroa, they didn't get the shape quite right.
Bottom Bar Hives. Got to be the way forward.
The magazine is the shop window for SBA but not responsible for low membership numbers
If the SBA was the right package for beekeepers in Scotland they would join
What are the benefits ?
well there's insurance then there's the magazine
For me that's about it
The vast majority of the SBA funds is spent on the Mag
The production costs of the SBA magazine are probably higher than Beecraft per issue
If the poll results are anything to go by then there are either no SBA members on this forum or they don't care
When I suggest to people they might like to join the SBA they just say why??
As well as the Insurance and the magazine what about the education, tour speakers, annual conference, annual honey show plus Royal Highland Show and recently the SBA/BIBBA bee breeding course and morphometry day
The thread is getting dangerously near to this.
Maybe the SBA needs to provide wine and aqueducts for the membership
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfh6sGyso
You guys are right I think there isn't a problem at all it's all in my mind
Me and the two people who voted in the poll anyway.
But the SBA can't claim to represent Scottish bee keepers just a small proportion of them
The much vaunted survey of Scottish beekeepers which was printed twice in the Scottish Beekeeper and once in Beecraft took 10% of SBA membership into account.
The membership I think is about 20% of actual beekeepers
So the survey included only 2% of Scottish Beekeepers
I would say statistically unreliable at best
I'll probably be saving the £25 from now on as well
Don't laugh
The Scottish Nationalist won the Election with the same campaign
Indecision stopped me from voting. Until every beekeeper signs up there is possible problem. The organisation just has to make a good job of selling itself and making sure that it is doing the right things. If someone could tell me whether the SBA has a higher or lower proportion of Scottish beekeepers in its membership than equivalent organisations elsewhere then it might be clearer if the SBA is attracting too few members.
It was carefully designed by professional statisticians and deliberately sought a stratified sample in the best way they could manage. No protocol is perfect of course.
The usual assumption is that about half of beekeepers are members. Do you really think that is so wrong? I just don't know. I do know however that if a political party wins an election so handsomely, and while currently in power, they must be doing something the electorate approve of.
Your probably right Gavin I don't think there are many SBA members on here .
What I have discovered is that I treat the SBA more like a magazine subscription with some insurance thrown in.
I'm not much interested in conventions, Guest speakers, meetings etc.
I only joined because I felt it was important for all beekeepers to be part of the national organisation and help support the SBA by at least subscribing.
Over the years I have had my doubts because some of the SBA stances and policies (already mentioned a few) are diametrically opposed to how I feel.
The difficulty is that by remaining a member I am part of the head count.
That gives weight to things like demands for compulsory registration (don't worry, I complained plenty at the time, ask Ian Craig)
The hope always was that things would change and as new members arrived new thinking would also emerge.
I was wrong, and most of the other bee keepers I know were right,the SBA is really just a Social club for beekeepers
The real action is all taking place at local association level.
Regards magazines about beekeeping there are others and the subs are no higher
Hi DL
That is a pity, but the SBA does do a broad range of things and some of them should interest everyone.
Yes, the magazine and the insurance are a big part of the interest in joining. Only a small fraction of the membership go to meetings of one kind or another. The coming centenary convention should be a cracker though - I think that the speakers are still provisional but they are really good quality speakers and one of them is one of the very best researchers internationally.
OK, you may hold different opinions to those the SBA has come out with. Me too. But an engaging communicator like yourself could express them within the organisation and possibly make a difference.
The vote in favour of compulsory registration was a surprise and is now irrelevant. The Scottish Government didn't think that they should go down this line so we now have a Scottish add-on to BeeBase that is collecting up voluntary registrations.
One thing that the SBA does and the local associations don't (and I'm not entirely sure that this is right) is speak to government. Help guide policy on bee health problems. Education. That kind of thing.
If you are not satisfied with what the SBA offers, what would you like to see done differently? Have you any suggestions for folk like Phil McAnespie? Phil would probably welcome your comments and does read the forum, at least sometimes. If there is useful discussion here I'll certainly point him to it. Maybe he'll even take part.
I'm employed by what might be considered a global company and I'm continually surprised by the parochial attitude in Scotland where tiny schisms prevail, surely we need to toughen up and accept controversial opinions and the national association is the place for these discussions to take place. If I have a problem I would like to have the opinion of the most experienced/ knowledgeable beekeepers available suffering conditions similar to mine.
Hi Gavin and All,
Due to a huge beekeeping commitment at the Flower Show in Ayr I have just had the opportunity of looking at this thread. Gavin is right that I just get the opportunity from time to time to see the forum and occasionally take part. This is not lack of interest but unfortunately lack of time.
The comments I am presently writing I do without actually pouring over the previous items in minute detail but having gained a flavour of the comments made.
As Gavin has commented the SBA does undertake a broad range of activities some of which I am sure will interest everyone. The SBA as far as I understand was not initiated to take over the role of local associations and do their job for them. I understand that it was brought about to have a body which could encompass these associations and take them and their ideas forward to those in higher authority and develop the body as a whole to grow. I suppose this is a little like the various local association committees which we have. They are meant to try and take the various associations forward and help them to grow and develop.
As a consequence we do require to have members who are willing to get involved and bring fresh ideas to the table. I actually do agree that we have, as an organisation, got to look at what we are presently doing and see how we can improve on it. One of the requests I made to the SBA executive when I became president was that we have an exec meeting where we actually spend the time only looking at ways we can take the association forward and come forward with new ideas rather than that of a normal exec meeting. I appreciate all that has gone before and all the excellent work done but I also understand that we either move forward or backwards as there is no standing still in any organisation. As such I welcome any ideas and suggestions that are feasible to take our organisation forward to a different level of activity and standing.
However in saying this we have to remember that progression can come at a cost. Not only financially but in time and effort by local association and exec members. The question has to be asked, are there members out there willing to come forward and take on the challenge?
Let me site one or two circumstances. There are three executive positions which have been advertised in the last magazine. Treasure, General Secretary and Webmaster. Has anyone applied for these positions or willing to do so? Please contact Bron Wright or myself and we would be delighted to speak with you.
At the last Highland Show Willie Taylor stepped into the breach and put on the display for the SBA. During the show we were able to recruit Peter Mathews to take on the vacant position of Promotion of Beekeeping. This position will require to be confirmed by the membership at the AGM and I trust that this will take place as Peter and the committee which he has formed will do an excellent job I am sure in the future.
As far as the magazine is concerned, I believe Nigel Southworth is doing an excellent job in bringing about changes which he feels will help develop the magazine from that which he inherited. He does this, as Gavin says, for no monthly remuneration and also in his own time. Yes it is easy to compare various magazines and editorials and differentiate between them. However this is only of value when the background of these magazines are the same. As far as Beecraft is concerned there is a larger editorial staff involved and also a greater pool of writers. The cost is only for the magazine and the readership subscription is far larger affording the opportunity of a larger size colour magazine. The SBA magazine does not have this priviledge and although we have looked at the prospect of an A4 colour magazine the cost at present is prohibitive. The SBA presently has a membership of about 1400-1450 members. As such it is difficult to get organisations to pay for colour adverts and pictures for a relatively small readership. Maybe in the future if members or advertisers were willing to pay more this could be revisited.
In respect of the membership, like all organisations it varies from year to year. The population of Scotland is about 1/10 that of England and Wales. As such the BBKA is not in percentage terms much larger than the SBA. Other factors come into play such as density of population and weather. Some of the associations in England are as large as the SBA but in a far smaller area. This allows greater opportunity of meeting up with other beekeepers, disseminating information and equipment.
In respect of the BBKA I have to take my hat off to them in respect of the work that they are doing for beekeeping in general. They are a large organisation and obviously have the lobby and money behind them to take ideas forward. However a lot of what they do comes about because of sponsorship, adopt a hive scheme and various other money raising schemes. At present the SBA is not involved in this way and maybe we have to consider this for the future.
Yes there are many ways that we have to try to improve and hopefully these will come sooner rather than later. However let me finish by commenting on some of the things which have been done in recent years. We do have a greater standing and communication with the Scottish Government in the Healthy Bee Strategy. There have been extremely beneficial talks taking place there by the SBA and Bee Farmers which at present is bringing about a safer environment as far as EFB and AFB is concerned. The Scottish Government has allocated money to assist beekeepers in education, disease diagnoses and on the field bee inspectors. There is a strong commitment to improve the health of our colonies and the expertise of our beekeepers and produce in the future new young beekeepers who are well equipped to accept the challenges of beekeeping in this century.
I appreciate that not all members are interested in the many functions which are undertaken by the SBA and are there predominately for the insurance. (By the way try pricing £2,000,000 Public and Product Liability Insurance and let me know how much change you get out of your SBA subscription.)
However I would encourage you to get interested and see for yourself what the SBA does and can do for you. Consider the education programme and have your eyes opened to a realm of beekeeping you never knew existed and also consider the opportunities which are available to serve on the executive and come and help bring about the changes you desire.
I apologise if this has in any way been a rant but as I said at the beginning I was not intending this to be a reply to all comments. Please contact me by email with any suggestions which you feel would help take forward the SBA and also suggestions as to how it can be achieved. I am definitely interested in any ideas which I can take forward to the exec in the meeting where these matters in particular will be discussed.
Phil McAnespie
President SBA
email: philmcanespie@supanet.com
Many thanks Phil for taking the time to reply to many of the points raised here and give your rather informed perspective on the organisation. I greatly appreciate it and I'm sure that the others do too.
To echo Nemphlar's points, frustrations and differences from previous years shouldn't be driving people's actions now. What matters is whether the organisation is doing the right things now, and whether we have a leadership that is prepared to consider how the organisation can evolve, as it has to do. We do have such a team at the helm, Phil the President and Bron his deputy, and a new magazine editor, so this is a great time to be looking forward rather than back. If you have constructive suggestions for improvements, let them be known.
Gavin