# Kirk Webster Does It Again



## BWrangler (Aug 14, 2002)

Hi Guys,

Another must read from Kirk Webster. The May 2009 American Bee Journal has published part 2 in Kirk's series. It's on page 459. And it's a must read.

What he says is what I've been trying to say for years. It's a summary of my beekeeping experience from commercial to hobbiest, from the king of unregistered treatments to a pauper of treatment free bees. What I've learned along the way is so eloquently stated by Kirk. I should just junk my website and replace it with his article!

I think there is a stirring in the force. And every beekeeping Jedi can feel the change.Even a stake through the heart can't stop those, like Sam Comfort, who understand, by experience, what's happened and have enough energy and time left to make a difference.

Even the Bee-L crowd knows something is up. :>)

The times, they are a changin'.

Regards
Dennis Murrrell - the old bwrangler


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Thanks Dennis. For those of us that don't get the ABJ is there a link to the article? When was part 1 of that.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

BWrangler said:


> The times, they are a changin'.


That's the good news. The bad news is that Kirk lost 50-75% of his bees and nucs again this year. 

Kirk and I have been friends for decades. I respect his views on bee breeding, although there are points where our management styles diverge. He got me into better management by raising my own stock and wintering nucleus colonies...a management plan that I'm passing on as best I can.

I'm not sure what we can do to help his research. I've offered bulk bees from my mating nucs...that are way too strong this year. If you think his work is valuable to us, as an industry, is there something we can do to help? He'd never ask, but...

I know his losses are a means to an end. Still a sad event. I just wish the ends were closer than the beginnings.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

michael palmer writes:
That's the good news. The bad news is that Kirk lost 50-75% of his bees and nucs again this year. 

tecumeh:
first off I look forward to reading the article myself.

however one should wonder about death losses of the above proportion or folks that make claims to having the silver bullet to the bee keeping worlds problems who's bees never seem capable of capturing a honey crop. at some point beyond all the rhetoric the rubber has to meet with the highway.


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## bleta12 (Feb 28, 2007)

tecumseh said:


> michael palmer writes:
> That's the good news. The bad news is that Kirk lost 50-75% of his bees and nucs again this year.
> 
> tecumeh:
> ...


Tecemeh, you obviously don't know Kirk Webster. He never claimed to have the silver bullet. His only claim is that the chemical control of varroa is not the way to go and will fail the way has failed.
As far the rubber and road, I am willing to bet that Kirk Webster does not need to get any bees from any one and specially does not need any package from the south. I am sure that he will replace the dead ones and get the number back this year. That is the self sustained beekeeping that he has always advocated.

Gilman


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

bleta12 said:


> I am sure that he will replace the dead ones and get the number back this year. That is the self sustained beekeeping that he has always advocated.
> 
> Gilman


All well and good depending on what you want from your bees. I haven't read everything that Kirk has written, but I do believe he has acquired some out side genetic stock in the past. I wish him luck and commend him for trying to do what he is trying to do. I hope he successful in attaining his goals. But I wouldn't call him successful yet. Not that you were.


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## Jack Grimshaw (Feb 10, 2001)

I'm sorry to hear that Kirks losses were so high.

The word "again" ,tho,makes me nervous.

Mike, a few questions (since we know Kirk is internet free):
Is this higher than normal loss?
Does he have an idea as to the cause(s) of the loss?
I know he uses an isolated mating area but does he bring in new genetic material on a regular basis or is he crossing the same old bees.

Kirk has been an inspiration to me and is the reason I'm treatment free(OK, you too Dennis)
I just hope he doesn't work himself into a corner.

Bees are dynamic,constantly adapting if we let them.

If I get a mild case of Swine Flu will I be better able to deal with the next "pandemic"?


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

Jack Grimshaw said:


> If I get a mild case of Swine Flu will I be better able to deal with the next "pandemic"?


If you get the worst case of Swine Flu will you care about the next "pandemic"

mike


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Jack Grimshaw said:


> The word "again" ,tho,makes me nervous.
> 
> Mike, a few questions (since we know Kirk is internet free):
> Is this higher than normal loss?
> ...



Yes, quite a bit higher than the last couple years. He recovered a few years ago with brood and bees from Mraz's yards. This time it won't be easy, as he lost many of his replacement nucs.

Kirk said his bees didn't get a Fall flow. Randy Oliver and I visited Kirk in October. The bees didn't look very good then, and it was pretty obvious at that time that they were in trouble. Small clusters on mostly empty black comb...hardly any stores.

I don't believe Kirk brings in any outside stock. If he does, it would be from the Russian breeding project.


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## Bud Dingler (Feb 8, 2008)

Mike: so Kirk did not feed in fall?

In Wisco where I keep Russians we also had poor fall flow and I fed heavily and still had higher losses then normal on Russians although only in the 20% range.


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## BWrangler (Aug 14, 2002)

Hi Guys,

Sorry to hear of Kirk's losses. For me, what makes Kirk's articles so powerful, is that they change the focus and trajectory of modern beekeeping. At times, the results both methods experience look alike, both good and bad. But the two are headed in different directions.

All of Kirks ABJ articles would be a good read here at Beesource. I've mentioned that to Barry and know he's attempted to contact Kirk. Not sure where all that stands.

Regards
BWrangler


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## Dr.Wax (Apr 30, 2008)

How many years has he been at this?

I understand it takes several years to produce the type of stock he's looking for and painful losses are likely along the way.


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## stangardener (Mar 8, 2005)

losses are typical in agriculture. one good thing to do is have a bit of diversavication. another good idea is to hold back a portion of each years income for the bad years.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Dr.Wax said:


> How many years has he been at this?
> 
> I understand it takes several years to produce the type of stock he's looking for and painful losses are likely along the way.


He hasn't treated for Varroa since about 1999. 

I think it's going to take longer than we think to develop a bee that is Varroa tolerant, and productive.


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## Jack Grimshaw (Feb 10, 2001)

Michael Palmer said:


> I think it's going to take longer than we think to develop a bee that is Varroa tolerant, and productive.


My goal is MORE Varroa tolerent.I know that's attainable.

As for productivity,I'm sure glad my bees don't have to pay the mortgage.I feel for you guys.

Re Kirk: Any way I can help,let me know.Don't have much to ofer except labor.I'm only 4 hrs down tne road.

Jack


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Not that I'm an expert by any means, but I'm thinking the losses we are having the last few years are not just from varroa. I'm thinking it's Nosema C. as well as something else, perhaps problems with keeping old combs too long or systemic pesticides or something else or combinations of the above with something else. I saw above a mention that Kirk has small clusters of bees on black combs... I'm thinking old combs are an issue at times. I've also read several reports that support the idea of Nosema Ceranae being a very big problem for the last 2 or 3 years. I think most people are still focusing too narrowly on varroa and need to look at other stressors and health issues with the bees.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

ray's comments mirrow my own thinking. some folks have become so attuned to seeing varroa behind every problem that they fail to look further and of course the problems associated with the means with which varroa was dealt with in the past are also totally ignored.

I would suggest (which also seems to mirrow ray's comments) that folks need to also alerted to watching for the two nosemas .


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## sierrabees (Jul 7, 2006)

sqkcrk said:


> All well and good depending on what you want from your bees. I haven't read everything that Kirk has written, but I do believe he has acquired some out side genetic stock in the past. I wish him luck and commend him for trying to do what he is trying to do. I hope he successful in attaining his goals. But I wouldn't call him successful yet. Not that you were.


I call any man successful if he keeps reaching for his goals. The reward of any effort we make is the effort itself, not the result. If it were only the results that count the whole world would have given up a long time ago because the results seldom seem worth the effort when you get there. As long as one has the passion and ability to keep trying, they are filling thier life with value. When they get as far as they wanted to go and stop, they are dead even if they are still breathing.


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## bleta12 (Feb 28, 2007)

For colonies to die it takes more than one problem but I think that even with the existence of other threats to honey bees Varroa is still the ultimate killer. 

My classic winter kill scenario in the north starts with high mite loads in the fall, week fall flow which leads to low bee numbers and irregular honey stores and small cluster that die in the winter or late winter. 

So it is late summer that seals the fate of the colonies we manage.
We should monitor for varroa and check the flow and feed accordingly. Keeping bees in good fall flow yards is the best.

Gilman


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

bleta12 said:


> My classic winter kill scenario in the north starts with high mite loads in the fall, week fall flow which leads to low bee numbers and irregular honey stores and small cluster that die in the winter or late winter.
> 
> Gilman


I agree with gilman is it a bad fall flow or do you have too many mites so that the flow looks bad? be right and the bees win, be wrong and they die.

mike


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## NeilV (Nov 18, 2006)

FWIW, 

The experts who spoke at our big bee meeting in March agreed that Nosema C is a big problem. However, it does not necessarily kill hives in winter. It can strike in the summer too.

Neil


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## RichardsonTX (Jul 3, 2011)

Did Kirk Webster come out from his losses ok? I've been taking a vacation from beekeeping for a while but thought I'd get my act back together and start taking better care of my bees. One of the things I've never done yet is treat my bees in any way. I am not advocating that anyone else ever do this. I am a hobby beekeeper and have had some years where I had substantial losses a couple of years right after I started beekeeping. But, I've noticed in the last three years where I haven't really been that engaged with my bees that I've ended up with some hives that seem to be doing fairly well without being treated. Having said that...........I am considering using an oxalic acid treatment on my hives. My wife gave me the tool for that last Christmas but I never used it. I just read my first article that I seen written by Kirk Webster and he really advocates not treating. The article was written in 2014.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Kirk's writings are here if you want to catch up:
kirkwebster.com


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## No-sage (Mar 14, 2009)

I visited with Kirk this summer at his open house event. 

It was quite an enjoyable and informative day. It's a nice thing he's doing, opening his operation twice a year and showing his management techniques and style.

His nucs were all booming and his his production colonies were stacked high with supers. I'll plan on attending his spring open house if he's going to have it next year. I'd love to see how his colonies look coming out of winter.


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## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

No-sage said:


> I visited with Kirk this summer at his open house event.
> 
> It was quite an enjoyable and informative day. It's a nice thing he's doing, opening his operation twice a year and showing his management techniques and style.
> 
> His nucs were all booming and his his production colonies were stacked high with supers. I'll plan on attending his spring open house if he's going to have it next year. I'd love to see how his colonies look coming out of winter.


Is there a way to find out when his open houses are, or are they invitation only? Thanks,
-Dave


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## JSL (Sep 22, 2007)

I believe this year's dates were listed on the website Michael listed.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Not many Vermont beekeepers will be attending his get-togethers. Read this rubbish and understand why


http://kirkwebster.com/index.php/my-apology-to-eas-march-2012


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

I read it. Since you're a Vermont beekeeper, can you please give us your take on what he wrote besides "rubbish"? Had no knowledge of this.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Let's hope that things improve...


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Michael Palmer said:


> Not many Vermont beekeepers will be attending his get-togethers. Read this rubbish and understand why
> 
> 
> http://kirkwebster.com/index.php/my-apology-to-eas-march-2012


This happened to be the first article I read when I first went to his website a couple years back. Wasn't sure what to make of all that... Every beekeeper is out to get him?


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

Barry said:


> I read it. Since you're a Vermont beekeeper, can you please give us your take on what he wrote besides "rubbish"? Had no knowledge of this.]
> 
> i read that a little more than a year ago and wondered the same thing. It's very nebulous and you can tell some feelings got hurt.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

Kirk's overarching philosophy about living in harmony with nature has a lot of ideas I can identify with, but may be a bit Utopian in regards to Man's basic intincts. That could be debated forever!

I think this has not been the first severe bee related setback Mr. Webster has seen: that seems to be a pattern that has happened in quite a few other locations. Is this the old problem of "islanding" whereby a host / parasite develop a static relationship by both parties adapting or developing modified characteristics, but lose connection to the wider populations who are developing specialties along different paths? Apparent strengths can become liabilities in these situations if the "islanding" factors" are somehow altered.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Barry said:


> I read it. Since you're a Vermont beekeeper, can you please give us your take on what he wrote besides "rubbish"? Had no knowledge of this.


Barry, answering this doesn't make me feel very good. I started writing a response this morning...before you asked, and canceled it. I don't really know how to respond without giving names and leaving me open to libel. I'll give it an honest try and tell you what I know from what has happened and from what Kirk told me.

First, I consider Kirk a friend. He got me started in wintering nucleus colonies, and greatly improved my queen rearing work. I'm not trying to say anything negative about the man and only tell you what I know. Personally, I think Kirk has an issue that has taken over his life...something I think he's wrong about. That doesn't change how I feel about him. He's a friend and always will be...no matter what he thinks about me and or others that I am also close to and consider my friends. Kirk is ill, in my opinion. When a friend is ill you wait for the day he is healed and returns. That may never happen and yet still we wait.

This all started when Kirk believed that Dick B was stealing items from him. He told me he set up this guy by leaving an old bee book out in the open when D was visiting...baiting him. According to Kirk the guy bit, and stole the book. How would I know? One dear old friend stealing a book from another dear old friend. My first reaction was disbelief. D is an excellent fellow and I found it hard to believe. I also thought as highly of Kirk and who am I to not believe Kirk. Not long after, Kirk claims that D is stealing his breeder queens. Again, I find it hard to believe. D would give anyone in need the shirt off his back. In fact, he once asked me if he could give his bee operation to one of my employees. I told him not to, as the guy wasn't ready for that.

Then, the queen thievery story grew to include another dear old friend Rick D...long time former state inspector. Rick and I go way back, and I know him very well. I trust this guy. In fact I have shared a toothbrush with him...and him infected with herpes. He said he wasn't active and I believe it. You don't get much closer than that. So then there were two conspiring to steal Kirks breeders. And then, another person was added to the conspiracy. Charlie A from NH was included in the group, and that was the real clincher for me, that something wasn't right. No way D and R would have anything to do with C. No way! So the plot sickens...beyond belief.

Then the story took some really weird turns. For some time, Marla S hung out with Kirk...to look at his bees, not to look at Kirk. Soon after, she began visiting Chas M, grandson of the famous beekeeper Charlie. Charlie's bees are unique and probably a strain of honey bee not polluted with buying in queens from all over the place. She was obviously investigating the bees, not interested in Chas. They became good friends. 

Now, understand what Charlie and Bill and Chas did for Kirk. Kirk worked for Charlie and became his right hand man and a good family friend. When Kirk lost his apiary to mites, and had to buy packages to restock his hives, they made available enough brood to boost the packages and get Kirk back on his feet. Well, when Marla became friends with Chas, Kirk got a wicked attitude. He told me the story claiming M was a ***** and Chas evil as he had a wife and young children. And Bill was a closet homosexual...whatever the heck that was supposed to mean. Oh My God! Why would Kirk say such things? Does it matter if Bill is gay? Of course not. I love Bill no matter his persuasion, a d Kirk said it with such venom. At that point, anything Kirk told me became the rant of a paranoid man.

When Kirk came out with the bit about D stealing his queens, and stalking him, etc, he asked the VBA president to censure the thief. Our president said the VBA had nothing to do with a personal situation and Kirk should deal with the police. Kirk dropped from the VBA and in 2012 wrote what you read on his site. Where he gets such ideas is beyond me. No one wants to drive Kirk from the association or from the state. Many love Kirk and think highly of him. Why would he say such rubbish and publish it publicly on a site that has no way of questioning him or rebuttal. Kirk is conveniently not connected to the internet and has no email address. 

The last time I talked to Kirk was in 2011 at the Leominster Chemical Free beekeeper's meeting. Something Kirk has said...again on his site...was the best meeting he has ever been to. I asked Kirk just what it was that happened. I told him that I had nothing to do with his troubles and why had he dumped me. He said he'd tell me some day. To date he has told me nothing and has dropped me as a friend...we used to talk regularly. I note that in his speaker review of the meeting...on his site too, he claims "We have hope for Mike". We? Hope? Who is we and who in not-we. And that's one of the issues I have...the division of our people into two groups, the we's and the not-we'd. Not a good thing.

So basically Barry, that's the story as I see it and have personally experienced it. I hope this isn't too rambling. I'm not happy about what has happened and I am saddened by the loss of a good friend. I expect at least two folks on this site...they know who they are...will now run off to Kirk and tell him what I've said. Well folks, go for it. I stand by what I've said. I have great respect for Kirk as a beekeeper, but as a man I feel he's sick and I don't hold that against. I can only hope that Kirk will some day, and in some way recover and reconsider. I miss him and I wish him all the best.


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## RichardsonTX (Jul 3, 2011)

No-sage, thanks for the feedback. I hadn't noticed this comment when I first went through the responses earlier. I'm guessing that indicates he bounced back from his losses fairly quickly. Do you know if he's still not treating for varroa in any way, if he's compensating but using a certain management method, organic treatment, or any type of treatment?



No-sage said:


> I visited with Kirk this summer at his open house event.
> 
> It was quite an enjoyable and informative day. It's a nice thing he's doing, opening his operation twice a year and showing his management techniques and style.
> 
> His nucs were all booming and his his production colonies were stacked high with supers. I'll plan on attending his spring open house if he's going to have it next year. I'd love to see how his colonies look coming out of winter.


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## Dan the bee guy (Jun 18, 2015)

So sad to here what's going on from someone that's close to it. I have Kirk's site in my faves and it will stay there. Stay strong and keep on teaching Michael.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

You are a good person, Michael Palmer. That must have been hard for you to write. You are a good friend to Kirk, even if he can't see it at this time. I hope that does not cause you much pain.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Mike, thanks for the background information. Very hard to make sense of articles like the one Kirk wrote. One gets the feeling that there is a lot more to it than what it given in the writing.


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## windfall (Dec 8, 2010)

I got started with bees from Kirk Webster, and purchased queens and nucs a couple other times after. In my few dealings with him he struck me a soft spoken, honest man, who was striving to live a life very much in line with many of my own beliefs.

When the article in question came out I just didn't know what to think. I live and work in northern vermont. Not too far from where Kirk keeps many of his bees. I'm not much of a joiner, and unfamiliar with most of the beekeeping community. But that was and is changing as I slowly build and grow out my hobby. The vague statements and warnings in that article gave me pause and concern, these were people with whom I might be dealing with in the future. In vermont it is a very "small world" and one is constantly finding overlap among friends, communities, and buisness relations.
So I'm grateful for Michael taking the time to write about what is clearly a personal and painful topic, providing some context regarding the situation.


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## Karen of NH (Jan 30, 2014)

I went to Kirk Webster's open houses both in April and in July. He was a warm and gracious host to 40+ attendees from ME, NH, NY, MA, VT, MO, and Canada. Kirk presented himself as an open book and held nothing back as to his management practices with his Russian Hybrid bees. He answered all of our questions from the beginners to the experienced beeks. We toured his new (3 years) home site and overwintered nuc yards in April and made caravan to one of his productions yards in July. He does not use treatments for varroa. It was a real treat to get up close and personal with such a pioneer in treatment-free beekeeping. Kirk is always available by telephone or snail mail and I have enjoyed many conversations with him when ordering queens from him.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Karen of NH said:


> I went to Kirk Webster's open houses both in April and in July. He was a warm and gracious host to 40+ attendees


That's part of the confusing part. Why does he talk with such venom about the rest of us. In fact, I've recently been contacted by a beekeeper from Europe, and while visiting Kirk he was told about all this trouble. Why?? Does everyone in the world have to be told how evil we Vermont beekeepers are and how he's been abused by us all? Something doesn't add up.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

> That's the good news. The bad news is that Kirk lost 50-75% of his bees and nucs again this year.


So Russians are not quite the survivors we have been getting told they are?


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

Oldtimer said:


> So Russians are not quite the survivors we have been getting told they are?


Oldtimer, that quote is from 2009. Someone dug up an old thread.


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## RichardsonTX (Jul 3, 2011)

Oldtimer said:


> So Russians are not quite the survivors we have been getting told they are?


Oldtimer, I had read an article by Kirk that was dated last year and was really impressive, and then I seen this thread. There were comments in this thread about him being hit hard with severe losses and I was wondering how well he bounced back from it. Evidently he has, which shows the resilience of his stock. 

I've been going through that battle with myself about whether to start treating my bees or not so I've been doing research again. I had taken a leave from beekeeping for a couple of years and now, going into winter, I want to make sure my stock that I have left has the best chance to make it through the winter so that I can make increase next year with some late summer splits using my worst performing hives and best queen. The stock I have left has never been treated. I've noticed patterns between what has survived and what hasn't but I still think I am going to treat with oxalic acid for now and once I build my stock back up I am going to dedicate one group of hives to non-treatment. From what I've seen in this thread, Kirk sells queens so I'm considering buying some when I get that test group going. 

After I inquired about how Kirk's stock was recovering from his losses that Michael Palmer had indicated, in a comment dated prior to Kirk’s 2014 article that I’d read, the subject of the thread turned to mainly about another article that Kirk had written. Except for that article, Kirk's other articles I've read are impressive and very informative. Based on the info I've seen, he's a very competent beekeeper which makes his efforts to develop strains very credible in my opinion. Michael may need to correct me here but I think Michael Palmer has given a lot of credit to Kirk for a large part of the process he now uses for sustainable apiary management. That holds a lot of credibility to me as well since I also see Michael as a very capable, competent beekeeper that makes his living from his bees just like a lot of other very helpful beekeepers I’ve met on Beesource. People who rely on their bees for a living minimize their risks to their bees so they don’t normally do things they aren’t highly confident about or at least have a very high rate of return for. As for Kirk’s “Apology to EAS” article, since I don’t know Kirk personally, those comments don’t “bite” me so much. I could understand where they would be hurtful to people who’ve known him personally and were surprised by the comments. Kirk is obviously hurt too. Time heals all. I want to say I am very, very grateful for all the generous info I’ve received from a lot of people I’ve met on Beesource. I enjoy eating honey but I mostly enjoy what I see when I am with my bees and what I learn about them. Cheers to all the beekeepers of the world!


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Thanks for the explanation and also thanks for the heads up about the age of the thread, wow I had totally failed to notice it is an old thread.

Paranoia is a thing some people suffer from and to them it's real, I was once closely involved with someone who 99% of the time appeared to function normally and in fact left a good impression on new people they met.

At first I was horrified when I was accused of certain things which included stealing, lying, and a bunch of other lessor things. The person absolutely believed it all even though most of it was based on no evidence at all it was just an idea they had had, which slowly became reality for them.

Then I realised also that a lot of stuff they had told me about other people, was probably not even true, and once I realised this, things started making sense again and my world suddenly got a whole lot better as I was able to fully trust these other people again.

I had to end that relationship bad as I felt for the other person, although I did try to convince them they had a problem and to get help. But they did not accept that so the relationship had to end.

As I read what MP said it very much rang some bells.


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## michkel (Dec 1, 2012)

Paranoia also comes with dementia. When my grandmother was in the early stages of dementia, she would hide things, like money or her wallet, and then accuse people of stealing it. She was good at hiding too, because it was never in the same spot twice. Many months of 2-3 hour searching of a 700 square foot apartment. Now she is in the more advanced stages of dementia and no longer hides things.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

michkel said:


> Paranoia also comes with dementia. When my grandmother was in the early stages of dementia, she would hide things, like money or her wallet, and then accuse people of stealing it. She was good at hiding too, because it was never in the same spot twice. Many months of 2-3 hour searching of a 700 square foot apartment. Now she is in the more advanced stages of dementia and no longer hides things.


I don't know the man, couldn't even pick his face out of the crowd, but after reading that article and MP post this is the first thing I thought of.


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

I had lunch with Kirk Webster, visited with him, and toured some of his operations a year ago October. I had read "the article" before I met him and was not sure what to expect. I regularly come into contact with a lot of folks diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Kirk seemed perfectly well. I found him to be a remarkable beekeeper, a natural teacher, and a fascinating raconteur. I have had a few memorable times with enthralling folks, some famous and some not, that I will likely remember all my life. That day was one of the best.
David


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## RichardsonTX (Jul 3, 2011)

Riverderwent said:


> I had lunch with Kirk Webster, visited with him, and toured some of his operations a year ago October. I had read "the article" before I met him and was not sure what to expect. I regularly come into contact with a lot of folks diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Kirk seemed perfectly well. I found him to be a remarkable beekeeper, a natural teacher, and a fascinating raconteur. I have had a few memorable times with enthralling folks, some famous and some not, that I will likely remember all my life. That day was one of the best.
> David


I think his beekeeping articles are very informative and he offers a lot to the beekeeping community through the knowledge he's gained over the years and passed on through his articles. I think it would interesting to meet him some day and spend some time in his apiary. Maybe one day!


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## Mycroft Jones (Aug 22, 2015)

Apart from dementia, the first thing that came to my mind was that a con artist had gotten into his life and under his skin. I've seen similar type of chaos before when a con artist is projecting negativity into another persons head to isolate them and make them vulnerable. Such damage can last a very long time, even though the con artist is long gone.


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## Clayton Huestis (Jan 6, 2013)

Anyone have an update on Kirk for 2016 (his bees)?


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