RE: SgtMaj's lost hive

[tlynn]

Yesterday I read with great interest the post from SgtMaj concerning his first beekeeping experience.  It was a real crisis situation, and as a first year beekeeper myself, it looked to be a great learning opportunity to follow what he was doing and the advice he was given. 

Then enter Beemaster.  I was eager to read his long post, undoubtedly lots of pearls of wisdom from someone only many years of hands-on can give.  But it was quite different from my expectations.  It’s crystal clear that the guy SgtMaj bought his bees from did not endear himself to the founder of this forum.  It’s also clear that SgtMaj made a big rookie mistake and cooked his bees, and I really feel for him and the bees, because I would have been equally sick if I had done that to mine.  The fellow I bought my first hive from clearly cared about his bees, because he told me in no uncertain terms to get them home post haste and set them up on a stand and take the cover off the entrance ASAP.  That urgency apparently was not conveyed to SgtMag and we see the result.

What concerns me most is the way the thread was handled.  Beemaster made his comments, and then locked the thread and exited and now it appears he pulled it altogether.  SgtMaj says he’s out of here, and what we end up with is a lose-lose situation. SgtMaj sitting there struggling with what to do next and Beemaster in self-imposed exile.  And all of us are denied the education.

With my little experience, I have taken time attempting to thoughtfully answer the few questions on this forum that I have felt qualified to respond to.  If someone does not use my advice, then that’s their choice.  It’s nothing personal.  If SgtMaj decided to buy his bees from somebody other members of this forum warned against, that’s his choice and his business, and it’s not “disrespecting” the people who advised against it.  It may not be particularly intelligent given the caliber of knowledge here, but unfortunately most of us have to learn ourselves.  I mean if I had listened to my dad a lot more I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes for sure, but at the same time I wouldn’t have learned valuable lessons, either.  I’ll bet SgtMaj won’t leave his next hive closed up in the sun again!

I give him credit for his keen interest and willingness to learn a lot about beekeeping before he pulled the trigger.  Ever seen the movie, “They Were Expendable”?  Setting is Navy in WWII. The Lieutenant JG shows up at the mess area and walks right up to a big steaming pot.  Before the cook (a sailor in the Navy for probably 20 years) has a chance to say anything the Lieutenant takes a sip from the ladle and grimaces, “Gee cook, you call that SOUP?”  The cook responds, “No sir, that’s dishwater!”  And they shake their heads and laugh behind his back about how he’s a 90 day wonder (thru officer training and now managing sailors with a lot more experience than him).  Maybe SgtMaj is a 90 day wonder beekeeper, but for heaven’s sake, he deserves a little compassion.  He just lost his bees and was, as far as I could tell trying to get it sorted out and asking for help.  And deleting his thread is what disrespects all of us.

Tracy Lynn
Clearwater, FL

[Card]

Ummm... I don't know what the hell happened here, but I guess now I know why I couldn't find the thread I was looking for. I was checking in this evening specifically to see how things worked out with Sarge's new colony.

Every forum moderator has to lock a thread occasionally. Arguments develop, things get out of hand, whatever. It happens, and it's no big deal. But deleting a thread? It always makes it look like someone has something to be ashamed of. That's inexcusable, and I'm simply not going to participate in a forum where that happens.

[rdy-b]

This whole thing is like some kind of TRAIN WRECK -I cant believe this happened like this  :-\ the guy just wanted to be a keeper and in a instant his world that was revolving around this desire exploded in his face -everybody that is involved in this is just a cross section of society -and we are not supposed to be perfect -I thought that rule number one was to have fun -anybody having fun today  :? RDY-B

[randydrivesabus]

I agree with all the above. It is John's board and he can do what he wants with it but I don't agree with his actions in this case. i also did not agree with his actions on at least 2 other occasions in which we lost a couple of other experienced and interesting beeks...one of these was Finsky.

[bmacior]

I planted a new lawn a month ago and was researching lawnmower robots.  Came across a forum.  One guy was very unhappy with his; ranted and raved, used pretty harsh language.  Some of the members were surprised the thread wasn't deleted.  Not only did the owner of the site who sells the lawnbots, not delete the thread, it was not edited nor locked.  It cost the owner of the site a possible sale as I decided not to purchase one at this point because of what the guy had to say; which I'm sure the owner knew would happen with some.  At least the owner was willing to allow somebody's bad experiences to be part if the bigger picture.

I missed SagMjr's post so I don't know what was said, but deleting the thread seems a bit much.   We're all here to learn and share.  How does censorship figure into the equation? :'(

[Cindi]

Hmmm....I must have missed something along the line too.  Did SgrMaj leave the forum or something?  I am sure that there will be a response/talk or something to explain "whuzz up".  Have a wonderful day, Cindi

[JP]

Hmmm....I must have missed something along the line too.  Did SgrMaj leave the forum or something?  I am sure that there will be a response/talk or something to explain "whuzz up".  Have a wonderful day, Cindi

Cindi, fireworks were in the air for surely, Sarge may have left for good, who knows, now he wasn't banned, but says he was leaving. The beemaster lost his cool and apologized for it and banned himself for 5 days for going postal.

As for as the post, it was removed never to be seen again. It was a mess, at times very confusing to know for sure what was going on exactly, we all just need to move on.

I wish Sarge the best.


...JP

[Jim134]

 


 I wish SgrMaj the best.May bee same day he may bee come a good beekeeper hope to see you again SgrMaj. It time we all move on

           

                BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)

[tlynn]

As for as the post, it was removed never to be seen again. It was a mess, at times very confusing to know for sure what was going on exactly, we all just need to move on.

I wish Sarge the best.

...JP

With all respect here, I don't agree.  I am not trying to dwell on a bad situation or stir things up.  I thought this was a forum for learning and sharing ideas.  I think at least the thread should be put back up, and maybe Beemaster could delete his posts if that's the concern.  Then others might have contributions to help this guy, who may or may not be back.  It would be a real tragedy to think that he could give up on beekeeping based on this experience, and that's all I am asking to hopefully to keep that from happening.

[gottabee]

i also did not agree with his actions on at least 2 other occasions in which we lost a couple of other experienced and interesting beeks...one of these was Finsky.

I always say confrontation is not the problem especially when it is a single occurrence. Confrontations will happen. However I also realize that when confrontational patterns develop and repeat themselves there is an underlying issue. I had been away from the forum for while and I am disappointed to return to this. I always enjoyed reading the posts of Finsky and regret that he is no longer a contributor here. I am sad to loose any member of the forum including Sgt Major and perhaps others.
I agree with comments of others - removing a thread does not remove the problem. I disagree with this action. I also don't believe "time out" alone solves problems neither at school nor in a forum.
I joined a beekeeping forum, not World Wide Wrestling. There is no doubt that we will disagree with others at times. Sometimes heated disagreements will ensue. When it does it says much about the character of a person in the way we approach the issue. We should be able to disagree without becoming disrespectful to each other. In my opinion Sgt Major was treated disrespectfully.
I hope everyone is man enough (and woman enough) to recognize our errors, apologize, and accept apologies when things go awry. PLEASE REMEMBER we have more in common than we have differences.
I trust everyone will put this behind us and get back to brought us together in the first place  - Beekeeping!
 

 
   

[Carriage House Farm]

Am I allowed to ask if these were the bees he was planning on purchasing from Cass?

Just curious...

I decided not to take that chance but was curious about Srgt's experience.

[mtman1849]

yes they were

[johnnybigfish]

yes, they were bees from Cass...( I dont have a clue who Cass is)
your friend,
john

[Robo]

I know a lot of folks missed all or parts of the incident between SgrMaj and Beemaster.   I'm not going to get into the details of the "he said she said"  but there was a lot of heated discussion and accusations from many members both on the forum and in PMs.  From talks of betrayal, accusations of a hoax, to someone getting bit by their karma. Things eventually got out of control and Beemaster lost his composure and deleted the whole post.  He did regret his reaction and imposed a 5 day suspension on himself and posted the following to the members.

Members:

Today, because I felt so strongly concerning the actions of a member, I wrote content that I wouldn't allow any other member to write without consequences - There was nothing vulgar said, I just spoke my mind at the disappointment I felt from a member and by my own standards and those we enforce here, I feel the need for a time-out and for everyone here to know about it. It just made me mad that for months this member has wasted the time of so many of us.

It wasn't that I exagerated or embellished anything, it was long winded and not the sort of thing that should ever be placed in public forum here.

I am sorry to anyone who read the post which has been removed, the entire content from the first to the last was a collection of mistakes, poor judgment and foolish behavour, because of that I have deleted it - no one else who hasn't read it needs to.

I am sorry to you members who read my ranting of disappointment toward the member I replied to, I was out of line and should know better. It is minutes before I start my Suspension which I have made 5 days. I will not be responding to PMs or post until the 1st of October, so until then please be better than I was today, enjoy the forum and be nice to each other. See you all then.

Unfortunately this has left the rest of the staff to deal with the aftermath. Beemaster has been abiding by his self imposed suspension from the forum (including the admin side) and has not been involved in any of the staff discussions.  Wrong as it may have been, deleting the post happened in the heat of things and there is nothing that can be done to get it back. I assure you it was not an attempt to censor anyone.  With that said,  the Moderators have all agreed to adopt a new policy of not deleting posts without first moving them to a moderator forum where they can be reviewed and acted on accordingly once cooler heads have prevailed. Inappropriate posts, that do not meet the family friendly nature of this forum will continue to be pulled.

SgtMaj was never banned, and is free to continue to participate in the forums.

I hope this provides some insight to the members and we can all put a close to this and move forward.  Feel free to PM me if you have any other concerns with this issue.

Rob....