Do many of these threads belong in the beginner area?

[taxonomy]

I really love beesource, and use its archives quite a bit. I often find this Bee Forum to have a lot of really basic threads esp. from 1st year beekeepers. Is there any sort of guidance about Beekeeping 101. For people asking more advance kinds of questions it sort of muddies up the water. It would be nice if there was something between this, which is pretty basic most of the time and Bee-L.

[Scottsman]

Pardon us newbees, I understand your concern, but the experts are here.

[naturaledge]

Like eggs rolled in sand

[Roland]

Do many of these threads belong in the beginner area?

Yes, but the Scottsman has a valid point. (IF you think they are here, what do you think of the commercial forum?)
OK, maybe the mix is not so bad here, the commercial people can pop in occasionally.,

Crazy Roland

[taxonomy]

I just feel that we spend a lot of time answering really basic questions, e.g. "how do I know when a flow is over?", "how many boxes to winter in?", "Extracting first time any tips" which seems made for a beginner forum, many of which are explicitly beginner questions. So, what's the point of having a beginner forum Beekeeping 101?

I'm not running 10,000 hives (Commercial Forum) but I feel with 36 hives in my sixth year I would benefit from some substantive Q&A about methods of splitting that mimic a natural swarm or preventing mouse damage to equipment stored it quantity. But this forum winds up slogged with really basic stuff and winds up not being someplace I want to check in very often.

I use the archives sometimes but even then it's lots of first years chiming in and diluting the content, so it's much less useful than it could be.

I'd like to see this be for keepers three years plus. Anyone can read it but the request would be for people with some time under their belt and some experience. It would make it a better resource for both current keepers, spectators and the archives would be more useful.

I am sure the newbies would have more than enough people to provide basic answers for their simple questions if those are not already in an archive.

[Thermwood]

So then the people with more experience and knowledge would have to spend more time in the beekeeping 101 forum to answer the questions there...............

[schmism]

I always thought that the moderators kinda moved threads that were considered good 101 material there after there were a number of good posts answering whatever noob question it was.

This means the answers get answered without everyone having to keep up with the 101 forum.... basicly a more in dept FAQ

[beekeeperlady]

"""I just feel that we spend a lot of time answering really basic questions, e.g. "how do I know when a flow is over?", "how many boxes to winter in?", "Extracting first time any tips" which seems made for a beginner forum, many of which are explicitly beginner questions. So, what's the point of having a beginner forum Beekeeping 101? """

well.. its not called bee expert forum... i would think beekeeping 101 means basic beekeeping.. beginner forum is just that.. they just started.. beekeepers are always learning.. as to the questions you put above.. its a weird year.. its hard to tell if the flo is still going or if it is drying up.. a person can be taught one thing.. but find out 4 years down the road.. there is something totally different going on. on the how many boxes.. again.. maybe a beek that has had one hive or 2.. wants to expand.. or ? does not mean he is a total newbee and your comment on extracting first time tips.. um.. there are people out there that have beehives.. had for years and never bother to take out honey.. or they just do cutouts.. heck i cutout and strain.. i don't use an extractor.. and i am not a newbee either.. so you see those questions are not "explicitly" beginners questions.... why does it bother you soo much.. that people are asking questions at all?
the way you have come across.. "elitist" really rubs me the wrong way. so you have 36 hives.. I have 2.. and im happy with that right now.again.. doesnot mean im a beginner. till i can make sure the corn fields around me when they get sprayed( airplane spray).. wont drift and do a kill. there are still things i want to learn.. that i might ask a question about.. just to remind myself about the correct answer.... to put it short.. if i didnt know better and enjoy this forum so much.. and i was new here.. just reading what you wrote.. would totally put me off this site. now i have a low amount of posts.. doesnot mean im new.. just means i read more than i post.

[jrbbees]

With the new information coming out, new ways of doing and dealing with issues and new equipment being tested. The basic newby questions have some different answers than they did 15 years ago.
Just jump over the thread titles you already know all about and are not interested in.
Simple solutions work.

[cerezha]

Every case is so specific, that there is practically no the same answer. This is a beauty of "collective mind", the Forum - truth is distilled quickly through the brains of hundreds. It does not matter how you call the Forum. I just filter what I need. If you establish a good filter - you will have a good answer - we all googling these days. Also, it is difficult to define what is belong of this particular forum. For instance, there is weird "treatment-free" forum here with "special rules". Its moderator do not let people discuss even herbs - it is considered to be a "treatment"... I would rather prefer some freedom than such Gulag. Sergey

[naturaledge]

I say give him some cheese with his whine.

[Yucca Patrol]

Having been on many various internet forums for about as long as internet forums have existed, I've seen this very same complaint many times.

If you are the type that says "What sort of moron would ask a question today that I asked five years ago?" and if you are the type of person who is not willing to help someone that does not know as much as you do, simply save your time and don't read threads that you know the answer to if you are unwilling to share your knowledge. You'll save yourself a lot of grief and frustration if you learn to ignore topics you are uninterested in.

Fortunately, most forums eventually end up with a few very knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful members who are always willing to gently help someone who has a legitimate question even though it may be a topic that has been beaten to death. These people will give newbies a quality answer, and if it is a notoriously common topic, they will often provide a link to the most relevant thread from the past if they happen to know of one. They understand that even if a question is not original, it is to the person asking it. This is the sort of person whose knowledge I value most and i pay attention to what these people say.

If there was a rule that no new thread can be created if it has been previously discussed, we'd be left with a very short list of threads that are all 37 pages long, and forum activity would come to a screeching halt.

[ralittlefield]

It appears that the OP is looking for a forum between this one and Beekeeping 101.

There are several specialized forums already, and Beekeeping 101 is for those that have not yet started or have taken the "first step" (What is that, getting prices on equipment?). This is the "general" forum. Most of the threads may be basic for long time beekeepers, but seem to me to be appropriate for this forum.

I believe that a forum between this and Beekeeping 101 would be a lonely place.

It may be good to keep in mind that this is a discussion forum, not a library.

[Sticky Bear]

It does say latest post and if you go in and look where the post is it usually is where it belongs. I myself enjoy scanning the new posts for info that may be of interest to me as well as some I hadn't even thought of. Skip to forums if you don't want to see 1st page. How hard is it to click the mouse one more time?

[Michael Pawelek]

I have only been on this forum for two weeks and really appreciate the welcome response from other members with my questions. Not knowing the difference between a "newby" question and a "experienced beekeepers" question I ask them in the categories I think are appropriete but sometimes can't figure out which category is best. The kindness of more experienced folks on this site is well noted and not taken for granted. I have already passed on some great information to other new beekeepers in my local county group here in Texas. Thanks...

[beecrazy101]

this is also a forum to make you think and do searchs on the great internet. I am a beginner but I have read so much info about beekeeping I get my own beekeeping interests. Not because they say they are pros, there are more than what they have done that can be done to help beekeeping in many other ways. Dont rely on one or a few people because they say they have done it all. there are many ways to keep bees.

[sqkcrk]

tax, after a while one finds they don't have to answer every Thread Question. Skip them. Sure, many belong in another Forum, but I find it hard to know where to Post a new Thread sometimes, so I imagine new beekeepers do too.

Besides, isn't this Thread in the wrong Forum itself? What does discussing whether something is in the correct Forum or not have to do w/ General Beekeeping? Or beekeeping at all?

Frustration noted. It'll pass.

[lazy shooter]

We could set the forum up like a phone menu. If you're a first year beekeeper use forum I only, if a second year beekeeper use form I and II, if a second year beekeeper with more than three hives use forum IIa and IIb, if a third year beekeeper use forum III, if a third year beekeeped declared commercial use forum IIIc, If an undeclared third year beekeeper with more than five and one-half hives use forum IIIc1/2, and so on.....

This would clear up all confusion. s/o

[lazy shooter]

I forgot to add to my last post that everyone upon joining beesource would have to fill out a simple eight page form. This form would allow you to receive your "iniation date." This date would be akin to your social security number for determining "time in grage" for allowance into your next permissable forum. With the graduation upward for into each forum, additional information would be required. This information would be on the applicable form and would not require a formal notary, but would require a witness signature of a fellow member of the forum to which one is requesting entry into at the current time.

I am still working on a penalty for non compliance. s/o

[naturaledge]

We could set the forum up like a phone menu. If you're a first year beekeeper use forum I only, if a second year beekeeper use form I and II, if a second year beekeeper with more than three hives use forum IIa and IIb, if a third year beekeeper use forum III, if a third year beekeeped declared commercial use forum IIIc, If an undeclared third year beekeeper with more than five and one-half hives use forum IIIc1/2, and so on.....

This would clear up all confusion. s/o I forgot to add to my last post that everyone upon joining beesource would have to fill out a simple eight page form. This form would allow you to receive your "iniation date." This date would be akin to your social security number for determining "time in grage" for allowance into your next permissable forum. With the graduation upward for into each forum, additional information would be required. This information would be on the applicable form and would not require a formal notary, but would require a witness signature of a fellow member of the forum to which one is requesting entry into at the current time.

I am still working on a penalty for non compliance. s/oNOW that is funny