beeinformed.org

[sqkcrk]

Has anyone else gotten an e-mail from beeinformed.org, requesting that you participate intheir survey(s)?

[Barry Digman]

Hmmm. I can't remember whether I knew this group was forming, but if I did I forgot. It appears that they're doing real work.


http://beeinformed.org/

[Ted Kretschmann]

Mark, I just signed up!! TED

[pom51]

I did the survey about two hours ago they ask for a lot of info that shuld help us all down the road

[Kingfisher Apiaries]

Got the survey to and they were asking for WAY to much info.

mike

[Barry]

Such as?

[loggermike]

I'd go ahead and do the survey. It wont bite you. You don't have to give any

contact info . They just want to run the statistics to see which management

practices had the best survival success. Not a bad idea, really.

[sqkcrk]

Got the survey to and they were asking for WAY to much info. mike

What should they be asking? What is the right amount to ask?

[Kingfisher Apiaries]

Like how many hives I had at all times of the past 2 years....just a lot of questions...did not feel comfortable doing it.

mike

[sqkcrk]

I had trouble answering that question myself. How do I know how many cols I had at any one month of the year. The question shows a lack of knowledge of beekeepers w/ more than a small hand full of hives. I would have prefered approximations. But maybe that doesn't work for a survey.

It kinda reminded me of the USDA Ag Surveys. I always tell the data collecter that I will answer their questions if they don't mind me LYING to them, because I don't really know, w/ much accuracy.

I'm sure some of my answers contradict other answers. Especially between the two surveys.

[loggermike]

Right.They should have asked for an estimate. No one with hundreds or thousands is going to go out on October 1st to see exactly how many are alive on that date. But even an estimate is close enough for getting a trend.
Thats what I gave them, my best guess.
These aren't tax collectors so I think its ok

[Beeslave]

If everytime you visit a beeyard you don't write down the colony count how do you keep track of hive theft?

Everytime every yard......... it takes just seconds to count the empty spots or the tacks in the lid of the hopeless colonies you will take care of the next time around.

[loggermike]

I tally the hives (boxes in yard) each trip. But I don't always count the ones with 2rocks on the lids(dds) separately. They get counted when they are gathered up.

Probably should try to keep better records, just in case someone wants to know exactly how many are alive on October 1st.

[sqkcrk]

If everytime you visit a beeyard you don't write down the colony count how do you keep track of hive theft?

Everytime every yard......... it takes just seconds to count the empty spots or the tacks in the lid of the hopeless colonies you will take care of the next time around.

Yeah, that's just what I do every time, every day and then I have a special way of remembering what the number was each day of every month. But then I forget where I put the notebook.

I don't know any anal retentive beekeepers who go that far or worry that much about loosing a hive or two to theft. Plus, if I were going to steal bee hives, I wouldn't take one or two, I'd take the whole yard.

[loggermike]

I have trouble counting past 10. And in a spring yard of around a hundred hives that may not be on pallets or in neat groups, I find a little hand counter/clicker makes counting very easy.
Like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Robic-M-357-Ta...1693566&sr=8-4

[sqkcrk]

Can we get back to beeinformed.org? Not that I didn't help get us off track.

[loggermike]

Right. The purpose of this survey was stated to be to find what management practices are working in the real beekeeping world to keep bees alive and healthy. Not to focus on CCD and the suspected causes for that. They have a statistics expert on board to run the data. Its only gonna be as good as the data they receive.

No one is going to admit to putting off label stuff in their hives so some data will be missing.

And accurate hive counts are part of it.. So it really wasn't too far OT
In my opinion , its a good thing to participate.

Nuff said, got bees to unload this morning....

[MichaelW]

Ever wonder if what you are doing effects your over winter survival as compared to other operations that might do something different? That's what the winter loss survey is designed to do.

Turn out has been great, but more participation from large scale commercial beekeepers is needed. You guys and gals have different needs/approaches, etc. then smaller operations which is the bulk of participation to this point. Results from these survey's can help you if there is a large set of your peers to compare notes with. If you haven't already participated, please go to the survey's below. Also please encourage your associates to participate as well.

Winter Loss Survey
http://is-nri.com/take/?i=166637&h=v...A1z9sEg54S0HCw
This should take less than 5 minutes.

Also, new for this year is a
Past Year Management Survey
http://is-nri.com/take/?i=166638&h=w...Cqbkk3aIowhTMQ
This should take less than 15 minutes.

Learn more about this at
http://beeinformed.org/

THANKS!

[Roland]

Patience, winter is not over yet..... First round of brood to hatch soon, we will be "out of the woods" and then I will count.

Crazy Roland

[Stonefly7]

Filled out all info with no issues. Did a best guesstimate also, but am pretty close. I found no problems sharing info that may help everybody? They did not ask any personal information. It's not the IRS!