Ever encountered hostility from other beekeepers over your TBH?

[shannonswyatt]

Never been mocked, but I have heard people say they won't work, which is strange, since there seems to be a bunch of very successful beeks with TBHs.

Some folks have a lot of time tied up into there white boxes in there backyard. When you do something different it can upset there "religion". Have fun at what you are doing, or do something different.

On the other hand, it doesn't hurt to have a Lang or a few. That way if someone does give you crap you can say that you have a Lang, but they have no TBH.

[praxis178]

Yep got told I was taking the local beekeeping community "back 150years" if I persisted with it by the queen breeder I was trying to order a queen from. He the launched into a diatribe of all the things that were "wrong" with a TBH. Which I countered with logic and the admission/acknowledegment that I knew my yields would be lower than for a Lang and that I was willing to accept that and having to "do more work" to keep my hive running. In the end he took my money anyway.

So far that work has consisted of installing the queen and standing back. Very tough to do I admit. On that note I have to rehive this colony as it has out grown the current box (a 2' transfer/capture box) in less than a month of foraging.

Cheers, Thomas.

[Michael Bush]

>Unfortunately, I have seen some negativity toward TBHs. However, I have seen A LOT more negativity from the TBH owners who believe that their hive design is the best and that Langs are somehow the industrialization of beekeeping.

"Lord, lead me into the company of those who seek the truth and protect me from those who have found it."--?

[hpm08161947]

>
"Lord, lead me into the company of those who seek the truth and protect me from those who have found it."--?

Oh my... I may have to appropriate that....

[Metropropolis]

Never been mocked, but I have heard people say they won't work, which is strange, since there seems to be a bunch of very successful beeks with TBHs.

Given the subjectiveness of success, such a broad statement is problematic.

What is a "successful beek with a TBH"?

[shannonswyatt]

Able to keep thriving hives.

[WVMJ]

As mentioned by others, that is an easy way to identify people who probably wont be able to teach you very much about anything. WVMJ

[Delta Bay]

For me success means producing some honey for personal use and some for sale. Sell a few bees from time to time, have my apple tree well pollinated, maintain a few colonies year to year without having to buy in new bees, but most of all it's to have the opportunity to work with and enjoy the bees. Every one has their own description of success and that should be left up to the individual to set the bar. I would imagine anyone that has been keeping bees in TBH's for more than a few years and continue is probably meeting their expectations.

[shannonswyatt]

For me success means producing some honey for personal use and some for sale. Sell a few bees from time to time, have my apple tree well pollinated, maintain a few colonies year to year without having to buy in new bees, but most of all it's to have the opportunity to work with and enjoy the bees. Every one has their own description of success and that should be left up to the individual to set the bar. I would imagine anyone that has been keeping bees in TBH's for more than a few years and continue is probably meeting their expectations.

That sounds like an excellent definition!

[Metropropolis]

For me success means producing some honey for personal use and some for sale. Sell a few bees from time to time, have my apple tree well pollinated, maintain a few colonies year to year without having to buy in new bees, but most of all it's to have the opportunity to work with and enjoy the bees. Every one has their own description of success and that should be left up to the individual to set the bar. I would imagine anyone that has been keeping bees in TBH's for more than a few years and continue is probably meeting their expectations.

One could achieve the same with a Skep or a Gum.

With the bar set so low, it is no surprise that "....there seems to be a bunch of very successful beeks with TBHs. "

[shannonswyatt]

Could be, but to hear from the some of the folks with Langs you would think they never lost a hive.

[beemandan]

Some folks like Chevys, some Fords and some neither. And many will argue their position until blue in the face. I’m on good terms with several TBH keeps and have absolutely no problem with their choice and absolutely no interest in following their passion.
A few years ago I ran into a TBH keep at a beekeeping meeting. I asked him why he chose to keep his bees in a TBH. He immediately went into a defensive diatribe that quickly expanded into the flaws of Lang beekeeping. I held up my hands, turned and walked away. I never said a word beyond asking the initial question. Later, one of my TBH friends came up to me and said that this same TBH keep had told her that I was opposed to TBH’s.
I cogitated a bit on it and decided that some folks simply have a martyrdom complex…and maybe a few choose an unmainstream beekeeping method as a way of fueling that need. I’m not saying that it is universally true but neither is the idea that most traditional beekeepers really care if you keep your bees in a TBH.

[shannonswyatt]

How true. I've seen the post from TBH beeks that make is seem that Langs are horrid, and I've seen post from traditional beeks on all the problems with TBHs. Live and let live. And keep both!

[Oldtimer]

Agree totally. TBH keepers and Lang keepers are all basically the same humans with the same flaws.

As a lang keeper I've certainly been critisized harshly ( usually out of ignorance plus views from The Barefoot Beekeeper ), and told it is my langs that have caused all the bees modern problems and TBH's will save bees from extinction. Although I've helped some of these TBH folks set up and supplied the bees for them I can still get treated with condescention.

All the more curious when they run into problems and come back to me for queens or more bees to make up a deadout. After telling me TBH's will save the species it is actually my langs that prop them up.

I've also been embarrassed by overly assertive attacks on TBH's by lang keepers. I might agree with some of the content but the way it is said can sometimes be very wrong.

What I'm saying is we should all just get along. There are fanatics on both sides that's just part of the human condition. Me, I shrug them off, continue to cultivate them as friends if that's what they want, and help out where I can.

Also, there's no special "different" or "superior" knowledge required to run a TBH. Bees are bees.

[clumsy red bear]

I have only met one older beek who was the one who showed me how to catch my swarm (from HIS hives!). He has a big yard, trucks lots of langs everywhere, huge extractors and everything. He was very interested in my TBH, had been reading some articles about them and thought it was cool. He also wants to hire me! I hope others around here are like him, open mind and nice to newbees. Anyway I don't see what the big deal is... I probably will try both styles if I get the money for lang gear sometime. I mean, do the bees really care? I have seen pictures of them building their hive in a BBQ. So, if it really has to do with the beekeeper and what works best for them, I suppose it's like snowboards vs skis and people have a favorite that's all (I like both!). I found out my grandpa who was long gone before I came around kept bees in some kind of horizontal log hive! Dad was a kid, remembers showing his dad a swarm and watched him catch em so I have beek in the blood, top bar style even !! Grandpa on mom's side also kept bees I think prob langs but the sad story was he begged and begged the neighbor not to spray his fields during the day but he did anyway and killed all his bees. That was before I came around too I think. He had ostriches, a mean apaloosa horse, the hugest friendly hereford bull I've ever seen and lots of other animals, but no bees. Anyway, I am just going to enjoy keeping my little hobby hives of bees and not worry much about what anybody else thinks. Early spring project, I am going to build a tbh for my dad because now he wants to keep em too...

[Oldtimer]

Also as an add on, an experience I sometimes have is going to somebody's place with some bees to install into their newly built TBH. I can tell, if they've read certain lang bashing books or web sites, that they are expecting me to supply weak, chemically poisoned, sickly bees. The surprise on their face can be obvious, when I install lively very active bees, that turn their TBH into a hub of activity with bees coming home with pollen within hours of being installed. And then they call me enthusiastically a few days later to say the bees are building comb and looking good.

Always get a kick out of that.

[Riskybizz]

I don't think there is any other area in the U.S. that has more TB hive advocates than here in Santa Fe, for reasons that I will not expound upon. Many of the followers are indeed quite defensive regarding the teachings of their guru. You only have to visit any number of TB beekeeping websites to read up on all the virtues of their practice. I have have had the opportunity to chat with a few of them at the local beekeeping meetings (that I rarely attend). If you have ever visited Santa Fe you can well imagine the topics of discussion. I always tell them "thats nice but the bees really don't know the difference"..after that they tend to drift away..

[Delta Bay]

One could achieve the same with a Skep or a Gum.

With the bar set so low, it is no surprise that "....there seems to be a bunch of very successful beeks with TBHs. "

but don't mind them unless they're annoying about it.

In my neck of the woods, there's a certain precocious self-righteousness characteristic of

Very nice!

[rmcpb]

Got TBH and a long lang. Both types keep bees well and I don't think the bees give two hoots about the hive type they are in.

Certain level of self rightedness on both sides of the fence.

[beeman2009]

Got TBH and a long lang. Both types keep bees well and I don't think the bees give two hoots about the hive type they are in.

Certain level of self rightedness on both sides of the fence.

Very well put. I couldn't agree more!