tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post4433216419038662716..comments2023-04-03T09:09:34.305-04:00Comments on Global Swarming Honeybees: Luddite 2.0Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-13331189972409645692008-01-23T01:08:00.000-05:002008-01-23T01:08:00.000-05:00While it is true that many "online beekeeping expe...While it is true that many "online beekeeping experts" have disdain for (or fear of) bee associations, formal education, newsletters, magazines, books, workshops, and other traditional forms of beekeeper interaction, this seems to be merely an expression of just how desperate they are for attention. They apparently want to be your <B>only</B> information source. That's sad.<BR/><BR/>One should not be so quick to dismiss one's local bee club without at least giving them a chance. Most beekeepers are nice folks. You'll like them.<BR/><BR/>You may be surprised to find that nothing said by the online self-appointed experts about one's neighboring beekeepers is true, and that one's choices about how one wishes to keep bees are not subjected to hostile criticism.<BR/><BR/>There's no suppression, no vast conspiracy, no repression of anything. There is a focus on "what works", and there is often a focus on measurement and testing, as we all owe our bees some regular check-ups, but no one is going to give you a hard time about your choices, whatever they might be.<BR/><BR/>Top Bar hives and keeping bees without miticides/pesticides are certainly nothing new, and are fairly common tactics among beekeeping club members. They are well-documented, and have both some advantages and some drawbacks, like any approach has.<BR/><BR/>I guess the "online" beekeeping "gurus" would not get so much rapt attention if they honestly admitted that their "fans" might be better served by meeting other beekeepers face to face, taking in a few seminars, and reading a book or subscribing to a magazine.<BR/><BR/>Or perhaps the online beekeepers would seem somewhat less heroic if it was revealed that it is not the practices that have been rejected, but more likely, the annoying self-aggrandizement of these self-proclaimed experts.<BR/><BR/>The reason is simple - nobody can stand a know-it-all forever. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com