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Ever encountered hostility from other beekeepers over your TBH?

45K views 152 replies 58 participants last post by  shannonswyatt 
#1 ·
Do other beekeepers ever criticize or mock you for having a TBH? Just curious how common this experience is.
 
#2 ·
What don't they criticize or mock you for? actually a TBH is the only thing I think I have not been criticized for. Rader where are you? your slipping.

By the way. never follow the advice of criticism. it is entirely unreliable. Is not given with your best interest in mind. and probably has little concern for your success.
 
#3 ·
Oh yea! Doesn't bother me because I learned 2 important facts about people in general a long time ago; People are afraid of 1) what they don't understand & 2) anything out of their comfort zone. Both are easy fixes, only need an open mind & a willingness to learn. Sadly those are getting harder to find.
 
#4 ·
In a backhanded way, yes. "When you get tired of fussing with those you will move up to a REAL hive" Meaning a Lang.

I must admit this is part of the reason I didn't join the local bee club. I just didn't want to deal with it yet. I might join this year anyway. I think I have learned enough to evaluate beyond the bias.
 
#5 ·
the only beekeepers i have seen complain of being criticized or mocked are the ones that read a book and want to tell other beekeepers that _____is the ONLY way or is the "best" or "smartest" way.
if one looks "down their nose" or has an attitude of smugness or superiority they usually get a poor reception no matter what the subject.
my experience with established beekeepers has been uniformly excellent.
 
#8 ·
I generally feel bad for the KTBH folk, 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 KTBH keepers, who have been convinced that apian salvation lies in the shape of the box, and miss no opportunity to preach the gospel.

I recall one recent newcomer to our meetings, who would introduce himself and proudly state "I'm using a KTBH, and my bees don't have varroa".

He's a first year keeper.
 
#9 ·
Thanks to all for the responses so far.

I have talked with multiple beekeepers in my area.

I have heard many colorful descriptions from them about TBH. ie,

"the ABSOLUTE WORST way to keep bees!"

"the wrong way to do it!"

Also, people who use TBH "have no sense".

I just didn't realize there was so much negativity out there.

Part of what intrigued me about all of this is that in the beekeeping books that I am reading right now, many of them refer to Langstroth as "the father of beekeeping". When one reads that title over and over again, one would almost think that it was impossible to keep bees before Langstroth ever came around!

Don't get me wrong of course. I am actually in the process of getting a Lang hive myself and I certainly respect the rich history, overwhelming signficance, and wisdom behind it. But my God...some beekeepers act as if you're doing it all wrong if you don't spend hundreds if not THOUSANDS of dollars upfront for a single hive alone. Maybe they should explain that to the bees.
 
#10 ·
>Do other beekeepers ever criticize or mock you for having a TBH?

Yes. It used to happen all the time on here until Barry cracked down. Someone would ask a question about something to do with a top bar hive and the next 20 posts would be people putting down the whole idea of a top bar hive. It made it very difficult to have a conversation about how to manage a top bar hive... Thanks Barry.
 
#12 ·
Do other beekeepers ever criticize or mock you for having a TBH? Just curious how common this experience is.[/

My two sisters and I started beekeeping about the same time four years ago, all of us started with TBH boxes. We have all been given the cold-shoulder by Lang beekeepers. One night at a church dinner a local beekeeper and I started talking about bees and had a friendly talk about the subject until I said I had TBh, and without saying another word he turned and walked away.
My sisters went to a beekeeping club and some were friendly, but most were not and some came right out and said they didn't need to be keeping bees in a tbh, they were made to feel very unwelcome.
When I first started keeping bees I wanted to learn from others so I e-mailed a local club and they seemed very upbeat and friendly, until I told them I had TBH, I never heard another word from them.
As for the three of us, we are open minded and have tried Langs. We find that each has advantages and disadvantages and that for us a combination of the two works well. On the other hand Lang beekeepers insist that it is their way or the highway.
 
#14 ·
Not criticized per se. I have met with 2 arguments over my TBH.
1. Bees work hard enough as it is, you destroy their comb and make them rebuild (8 # honey = 1 pound wax, etc)
2. You kill brood each time you extract since the queen will lay all over the hive.

At the conference of the 2013 American Honey Producer's Association I had a conversation with Les Crowder of New Mexico..Top Bar Beekeeping. He presented in a straight forward intelligent way citing stats and research which address the objections. Naysayers have helped me be aware and led me to research their objections. I've come to understand the arguments against top bar beekeeping and am able to address them in a non-emotional way. That's been helpful. Also, understanding that methods are bound to vary depending on your purpose.
 
#16 ·
I can't say that anyone from my club has ever directly criticized me for using TBH's. To themselves they may. Our club is pretty progressive with expectations that respect is given to all.
I've given a number of demonstrations at the club and have found that most everyone is interested in how they work and ask many questions even though they're not necessarily interested in ever trying one.

I think everyone is way better off to command respect rather than demand it.
 
#18 ·
>1. Bees work hard enough as it is, you destroy their comb and make them rebuild (8 # honey = 1 pound wax, etc)

But drawing comb is what they do. They are not sitting around the hive whining that the beekeeper took their comb, they just make more.

>2. You kill brood each time you extract since the queen will lay all over the hive.

Which, of course, she does not. I've never harvested any brood from any of my top bar hives. I've only occasionally harvested small amounts of brood from my Langstroth hives and then it's my fault for not checking better.
 
#20 ·
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.

I have both types of hives (vertical and horizontal) and I have tried running frames and top bars in each of those. It all works for the bees if I keep out of the way enough.

Most of the negativity comes from those people who believe they have found the "right" way and want to convert you to it. It doesnt' matter what type of hive design they're selling when their mind set is such.
 
#21 ·
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.
 
#22 ·
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.
 
#23 ·
>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."--?
 
#28 ·
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.
 
#32 ·
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.
 
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