# TFB forum is back



## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Is this page another attempt by Solomon Parker to get support (and money)?

Only post in it thus far is him saying he does not believe mite bombs are an issue.

His "proof" is that he checked his 3 hives and one of them was dead, he thinks it was mites. (i never, ever, heard him admit that before). Anyhow he goes on to say that the other 2 hives did not get mite bombed, therefore mite bombs do not exist.

Classic Solomon Parker. Draws a conclusion from just one isolated event. He also mentions the dead hive has honey so was not robbed. Wonder what he thinks about all the hives dying of mites that do get robbed, just before they die completely.

I personally would not trust info disseminated from this page, and it should not be advertised on Beesource either.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Oldtimer said:


> .... it should not be advertised on Beesource either.


Up to the Mods.
Please remove this reference to the forum if not appropriate.
I don't really care.

Just stumbled upon it by an accident today.
It looks like they maybe jumping off the hated Facebook (like most anyone else now days - ditching the Facebook is the latest cool trend).


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## tom0354 (May 25, 2018)

Oldtimer said:


> ...
> Draws a conclusion from just one isolated event
> ...


Lots of people are doing that. IMO, it is a problem when they are stating it as fact from one/couple or isolated event(s). When I started the journey, I spent lots of time reading and have to weed through lots of opinions and it is tough on new beeks. On the other side, there are others which are doing a very good job on stating what working for them and what not which is very valuable.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

If so, he got that right. There is a local FB forum I follow in my own country, the format is really annoying. Threads just disappear, and people answer specific posts way back and you never see it. FB is a good format for idle chit chat, but not for having sensible discussions of any length.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

> ... and it should not be advertised on Beesource either.


:lookout: Let me note that "advertised" implies a "paid" promotion or ad. The _For Sale_ forum and Beesource "banner"ads and "right edge of the page" ads are examples.

But I do recognize that "promoted" is probably closer to what was meant. 

Everyone should understand that products, *and other forums* - AKA social media platforms - are not _endorsed_ or _promoted_ by being mentioned in the Beesource forums. Its true that the person who wrote a given message might have that in his/her mind, but the _forum _does not endorse other sites or products simply by mentioning them. Indeed, there are plenty of products mentioned in various Beesource threads that quite harshly disparaged - for example, certain feed "additives" come to mind.

If someone wants to talk about a topic on Beemaster.com or Biobees.com or Bee-L, or Facebook etc, that is OK. However, its possible to push things too far, and if/when that point is reached, its likely a moderator will step in.  Someone that _repeatedly_ links to a site that is generally perceived as a Beesource competitor will probably be asked to stop doing that. If they choose not to comply ....  ... but, that is quite rare.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Thanks Rader, good info.


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

I read the 'terms'. It basically says no discussion of any kind of 'treatment', which includes things like 'feeding is a treatment for starvation', yadda yadda. Just wants to talk about throwing bees in a box, leave them to their own devices and hope they survive, no husbandry of any type. That's not beekeeping, that's potentially 'bee having', but more likely to turn into empty boxes.

Thanks, but no thanks. If we are not going to talk about how husbandry of our livestock is practised, then there's nothing left to talk about. Anybody can throw bees in a box and watch them 'sink or swim' over time, but that's not my objective. We have livestock that is expected to produce a return on our investment in both equipment and time. I dont consider 'bees surviving' anything special, quite the contrary, keeping them alive is the name of the game. If they dont survive, that's not 'bad bees', it's 'bad beekeeper', something a lot of folks dont seem to understand. Then again, if your bees all die off, it's much easier to blame 'bad bees' than it is to just own the issue yourself and admit that poor beekeeping resulted in dead bees.


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

grozzie2 says: " If we are not going to talk about how husbandry of our livestock is practised, then there's nothing left to talk about."
BINGO!
Maybe not nothing left, but very little would be left.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

I never bought into the don't feed them thing, it just shows the beekeepers ignorance.

Clearly bees are designed so that in their natural environment they store enough food to last through the lean times, if they did not, they would not still be here.

But we move them to different countries and environments, plus take some of their honey. But some people think you do that and put them in an impossible situation with few stores normally due to beekeeper error, nothing flowering, and if they starve, it's the bees fault.

The best learning tool for some of those beekeepers, would be for some super being to rip them from their home, fridge, and well stocked larder, and drop them into a barren desert. And don't give them any food, if they starve, it's cos they are weak and unfit.


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

I choose to keep frugal bees and leave them enough honey to make it through the summer dearth and winter. That may contribute to being able to have a sustainable small scale operation without treating. Anyway, it works for me.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Oldtimer said:


> I never bought into the don't feed them thing,....


That's why I feed and don't worry about it.
It is a mess in the US as it is with, all the bee moves - I don't even know what kinds of bees I got (got all way from the blacks to the yellows).
One thing at a time as for me - no-chems is enough stress test.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

The option of not feeding is quite do-able once the colony is established sufficiently, but there are many circumstances where it would otherwise be beneficial. My area is pretty marginal for bees and there certainly are no ferals. I can take 60 to 80 lbs of honey if I feed back sugar syrup. If I did not feed it probably would be more like 30 lbs would be a reasonable take. Since it is only a hobby and a source of gifts etc., I can see myself drifting in that direction; feeding is getting old and so am I!

Reduced to pure economics though, and shed the philosophy, I think early spring augmentation and fall feeding of syrup would beat the pants off the alternatives. All depends on a persons motivations, not right or wrong.

Now if a person is wanting to attract a following of wide eyed disciples it is obviously much easier to accomplish from a Facebook forum than from amongst the cohort of sideliner and commercial beekeepers: as a group I dont see them big on fawning!


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

> I don't see them big on fawning!


 It has happened here a few times. A certain beekeeper in Mississippi who made a bunch of outrageous claims and the sycophants he attracted comes to mind.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

The Dr? 

If so yes true, he did get busted though.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

Oldtimer said:


> The Dr?
> 
> If so yes true, he did get busted though.


That story died hard!


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## AHudd (Mar 5, 2015)

Ya'll _can_ speak the name, just not three times please. 

Alex


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

hopefully sol will have better luck this time around. not worried about the competition. 

the unique rules are neither in place to make this subforum an echo chamber nor to give license for tf beekeepers to lob disrespectful comments to our treating friends.

it's been awhile since i've said thank you to all of you on both sides of the approach for keeping it civil here and avoiding taking us down that proverbial rabbit hole...

so, many thanks everyone!


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