Scottish Government report on the 'Restocking Options' study

[The Drone Ranger]

I think that people's standards depend on whether they've raised the queen themselves or paid £30/40 for it. Even a free queen given to help someone out can get a rather critical appraisal far beyond what the recipient's own queens receive. Human nature.

Don't I know it

Incidentally I was given a Queen last year by Jon (he's a generous chap)
She was born on the wrong side of the sheets from the rest of his breeding program
I'm looking forward to how she does this year though

A friend bought 3 queens from Jon the season before and gave me one of them
Thats one of my best queens without any doubt and I believe the other two were good as well (still think I got the best one lol!)

I got a couple of other queens from the same friend last season (Local) really good ones from her best honey producer
Like everything though there's bound to be variation some good some a little less so

[The Drone Ranger]

I help our Association with Apiary based training.. and will help individuals when required..
It's a real struggle when people take a colony into winter with little training or experience and wonder why it dies out...

I stopped selling TBH nucs completely to beginners as "natural beekeepers" appear to have more than the usual proportion of ignorants and tend to kill their bees. Those that do overwinter tend to pester their neighbours with swarms..

Fell about laughing -- thanks

I think 18 people started the Summer course being trained I was one of them(so was Mrs DR)
11 finished the course
5 bought bees
There was us,Ruth who ran over pheasants, Nicky, Lois,Bill
Later Lois gave up after a stinging incident
So 4 left keeping bees possibly (I'm not sure that Ruth didn't just go back to roadkill)

That was long before the press attention on how important it is for people to save the bees
It's not for everyone I sometimes doubt if it's for me

[fatshark]

Ruth sounds interesting ...

[The Drone Ranger]

leg_it_.jpeg

Run for it

[fatshark]

More like 'run over it' from your previous description

[The Drone Ranger]

Well she felt (wrongly ) that "if you slowed down for them you would never get anywhere"
Lois had flames coming out of her smoker at one point
Bill built his own hives and the brace comb was something to behold
Nicky got stung on the top of the head ran round in circles screaming and threw herself on the ground as if that would work
They were the success stories



Sent from my LIFETAB_S1034X using Tapatalk

[drumgerry]

DR your "Nicky" story reminds of the time I was talking someone through a procedure on the phone, they got stung (maybe a couple of times!), started shouting to their companion to "Get them off me!" followed by a long beeeeep as the line went dead. Oh how I laughed! Whoops - bit of thread drift creeping into our very serious thread

[The Drone Ranger]

DR your "Nicky" story reminds of the time I was talking someone through a procedure on the phone, they got stung (maybe a couple of times!), started shouting to their companion to "Get them off me!" followed by a long beeeeep as the line went dead. Oh how I laughed! Whoops - bit of thread drift creeping into our very serious thread

It is a bit of a drift but fun nevertheless
I think a lot of folk like the idea of bees but soon realise it's not for them
Kids all want rabbits but not cleaning out the hutch

I gave Lois a queen once for her "queenless" hive
When she went to put the cage in she found young brood
She rings me up "Its ok I have young lava and eggs"
Yay!
I say"what about the queen I gave you then"
"Oh I let her go" she says
"Go where ??"
"in the garden" was the reply

(Sorry if you are reading this Lois I let the plant you gave me in return die so I'm no better)

[gwizzie]

It is a bit of a drift but fun nevertheless
I think a lot of folk like the idea of bees but soon realise it's not for them
Kids all want rabbits but not cleaning out the hutch

I gave Lois a queen once for her "queenless" hive
When she went to put the cage in she found young brood
She rings me up "Its ok I have young lava and eggs"
Yay!
I say"what about the queen I gave you then"
"Oh I let her go" she says
"Go where ??"
"in the garden" was the reply

(Sorry if you are reading this Lois I let the plant you gave me in return die so I'm no better)

DR you crack me up LOL, just having my breakfast and decided to read your last couple of posts and I could not eat with laughing, my good lady asked what I was reading to make me laugh so much. I replied a few posts on the bee forum, she asked me to read them to her and she now is rolling about on the couch laughing (think it was the road kill that got her) You should write short stories bud

[The Drone Ranger]

This thread is about an important issue though so apologies Gavin
Could you could move this stuff ?