There is no beekeeping best practice but many poor quality beekeepers

[Calum]

Hallo
so the BBKA Pesticide Decision is really beyond its sell by date, so it is time we had something new to argue about.

It is my opinion that there are no best practices in beekeeping just several more or less effective methods of trying to achieve the beekeepers objectives that are more or less successful depending on what the bees were actually planning, the weather, nectar flow, time of the year, luck, and implementation of the manipulation by the beekeeper.

I would further argue that by far the biggest threat to kept bees is their beekeeper.

Case in hand: I was chatting to a beekeeper of 40 years about why he is giving up. His response all his bees keep dying. I asked him how his varroa treatment went. His response
“I treated them as usual 3 doses of 60% formic acid”.

It as been recommended that 5-7 doses be applied for at least 4 years now in all magazines, training / lecture sessions and beekeeping meetings (for ordering the right amount of medications in spring and in July/August meetings again).

Discuss