discussion on a top bar hive conference in 2007?

Hello,

The top bar hive Yahoogroup ' www.groups.yahoo.com/group/tophive ' has been active lately. We're discussing organizing a national TBH get-together in 2007 - early spring or winter, probably in Northern California (I"m suggesting UC Davis near Sacramento or at UC Santa Cruz which has a lot of TBH users among it's students, and I will do some research to see who would host us).

I don't think you can see the TopHive 'messages' without actually joining the list (it's usually low-volume), but it's worth joining and has been really interesting there today. People are discussing their desire for better organizing TBH educational information (other than the online stuff), and the conference idea came out of that discussion.

(I hope it's not against forum rules for me to advertise another forum!)

Mark

[size="1"][ January 12, 2006, 12:29 AM: Message edited by: girl Mark ][/size]

cool! i spent a number of years at the davis farmers market distributing (selling) salad mix, oyster mushrooms and stuff. id be very interested in coming off my hill and attending.

My house is right smack dab in the middle of the country (So is Bullseye Bills [img]smile.gif[/img] ) Why not have it here. In Greenwood, NE?

you want to host us all at your farm?

Mark

Party at Micheals!

Keith

>you want to host us all at your farm?

Define "host"? [img]smile.gif[/img] You're all welcome to come. There's a motel six miles up the road by the interstate (I live six miles off of I80) for those who don't want to rough it. There's tipis pitched in the back yard for the down to earth folks (nothing like a nice fire ). There's some floor space in the living room if you've got sleeping bags. There's a drivway big enough for one or two RVs. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Of course if you all live in California, it's a very long drive. [img]smile.gif[/img]

>Party at Micheals!

[img]smile.gif[/img]

Interesting how you can be both in the middle of the country and in the middle of nowhere at the same time [img]smile.gif[/img]

Maybe by 2007 I could actually make plans to attend such an event. By then, I can probably figure out how to get there, from here.

George-

-there's tipis pitched in the back yard

hey mr bush are you a three or four pole person? [img]smile.gif[/img]

<girl Mark>
(I hope it's not against forum rules for me to advertise another forum!)

I saw you get in trouble for this once. I eventually got kicked off because I answered "nothing" to the question "tell us as much as you want".

Small world ;)

JohnF

<Michael Bush>
There's a motel...

You forgot to mention the food man. [img]smile.gif[/img]

JohnF

John F,

you mean the crazy biofuels list? small world indeed. Anyway, unlike that particular incident, the posters here show nothing but respect for each other, and as a relative newbie I don't want to step on any rules I may have missed.


Everyone else,

I'd love to come down to Michael's (I actually go through Nebraska periodically, Michael, be careful what you wish for) but in mid-winter, when we're talking about doing an event because beekeepers and farmers are less busy, it's a bit harsh travel conditions in the Midwest.
The California TBH conference now looks like UC Santa Cruz could be a good location, as we have a connection there in the form of a doctoral student that I used to keep hives with. He writes, suggesting UCSC :

Tim Krupnik writes (brainstorming, none of this is very official from a UCSC standpoint yet)

Quote:

---

As a very viable alternative, I would suggest holding the event at UCSC. We have a very highly involved organic community here, lots of beekeepers, and many hives on the student farm, including a few topbars. We also have much more student involvement in the bees as well as several farm workers who manage hives. There is also a bee club here which is fairly active, with perhaps 20 people.

Seeing that I work on the farm as part of my research, and that my professor is the director, I could no doubt get access to facilities there, and I would have little to no trouble securing large facilities for an unfunded conference both there and at other facilities at UCSC. I could make it work with really little effort and I can promise a very large interest from the local community, possibly even more than at davis... and the farm is really pretty-- Imagine fields on a hill overlooking the Monterey bay, on clear days you can see Big Sur.

---

It's totally true- the farm is BEAUTIFUL , and the organic community there is already well set up for holding educational events. There is a lot to see there, in terms of organic farming and integrated pest management, too, which I think would interest many people who are also into ecological beekeeping. And Tim and I have organized events before together, which means that we have a lot of local resources to call on for logistics- housing, food, entertainment, rides from the airport, etc.
For a mid-winter event, Santa Cruz is probably a nicer location than most. Disclaimer: sunny california is very rainy in winter, but that happens at 50F rather than the nastier temperatures that folks with 'real' winter experience, and there are plenty of beautiful clear days too.


also, in California, and if it's not raining, we can actually have a hands-on workshop where newbies could watch beekeepers work the hive. If Im not mistaken, there's a honey flow in Santa Cruz in febuary when we're talking about potentially having the event. WE could group people up into five groups or so and work a series of hives for those who have not done it before for example.

The weekend we're suggesting is Washington's birthday weekend, Feb 17-18, 2007 : the event would be two days but held on a three-day weekend so as to make travel time easier for the working people.


Though- a party at Michael's sounds like it would be very inspiring too, maybe in spring/summer/fall?


Mark

[size="1"][ January 12, 2006, 04:40 PM: Message edited by: girl Mark ][/size]

<girl Mark>
you mean the crazy biofuels list?

That's the place.

My experience here is short but I agree with your assessment. I have been here long enough to feel that if I should step on a toe I'd get a quick smack, make my apology, and it will be accepted. No foul.

I do understand the concern though. Not all places are like this.

Really just saying hello though.

JohnF

(hey mr bush are you a three or four pole person? )

Of course you know Lakota are 13 pole people!

>Interesting how you can be both in the middle of the country and in the middle of nowhere at the same time

Funny how that works.

>Maybe by 2007 I could actually make plans to attend such an event. By then, I can probably figure out how to get there, from here.

Maybe I should put a more general get together on the schedule for 2007 and see who shows up.
>hey mr bush are you a three or four pole person?

I'm Lakota. Of course it's a three pole pitch.

>You forgot to mention the food man.

I'll make stew and fried bread and wojapi (fruit pudding). Y'all can bring more if you like. The vegatarians will have to bring their own. ;)

>I'd love to come down to Michael's (I actually go through Nebraska periodically, Michael, be careful what you wish for) but in mid-winter, when we're talking about doing an event because beekeepers and farmers are less busy, it's a bit harsh travel conditions in the Midwest.

It's fifty here right now and the roads have been clear all but two days all winter. But then for a Californianite fifty is probably a blizzard. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Though- a party at Michael's sounds like it would be very inspiring too, maybe in spring/summer/fall?

I'm game.

>Of course you know Lakota are 13 pole people!

Well, right now the 14 footer is pitched in the backyard with 13 poles I think. I'd have to count. But it is three key poles. [img]smile.gif[/img]