1st time Inspector came today...discouraged

[BjornBee]

ok, but wouldn't it be equally effective to have an association of beekeepers in a state like FL who did inspections and recommendations?  the public would get the same assurances and the government would be involved.  

No way to know that. Ever try to get enough volunteers just to run a mentoring program? Bet it would be much harder to get people to take calsses, get trained, pay for travel, and commit to doing a half decent job, with no pay.

first, you get legislation passed that protects beekeepers who submit to inspections, from liability.  then you put together some beekeepers and do some inspection training and agree on best practices. 

So we are right back to regulations and mandatory appliance. Hmmm. And to think so many had a problem with a simple suggestion as posted earlier. Good Luck!

saves the state money.  saves the beekeeper money + the  kind of people who would work in something like this are more apt to be teachers rather than just doing a job.

Who said it would be free?  ;)

What your describing is a mentoring program at best.   ;)

Why even go down this road? Any club can have a mentoring program.

But with no real reasoning, enforcement, mandatory guidance, or benefit,....why the need for a law limiting or giving the beekeepers a pass from liability? Why the need for "card board cutout" program, if the Best Beekeeper Practice" is just nothing more than Friends inspecting friends, with a wink, wink.

I'd like to see a couple folks spend 40 hours a day doing what may be needed for nothing as some "certified" inspector through the state. I know I don't have the time or money to do that.

yes, beekeepers and others in ag go to the state for protection, but they are asking for protection FROM the state or local govt. 

And having no inspectors, agriculture bee departments, and other support mechanisms help exactly who?

Let me know how far you get with the whole promotion of disbanding the state bee inspection programs, in exchange for a voluntary program based on a free service provided by folks that would have no funding, no authorization, and nothing else of a vested interest.

Now where is that "You must be smoking a doobie" icon?  :-D

[Kathyp]

so you are left with the state.  just how much funding do you need to inspect hives?

the only way it doesn't work is if you make it all accountable to the state.  i'm saying get the state all the way out of it. 

it may not be workable but i object to the state doing this kind of stuff on a number of levels....now, commercial beekeeping is a different animal.  there the state has an interest in protecting commerce.  i see no reason to harass backyard beekeepers and for the state/tax payer to spend money on it.

[KD4MOJ]

The Beekeeper Compliance Agreement that I had to sign was the most discouraging. 

  HHmm I don't remember even seeing something like that. All I did in the past was sigh the inspection forms.

Glad my experiences with the inspectors were different than yours... Only thing I could say in a slightly negative way is the "pro chemical treatment push", but that is the state and not the inspectors fault.


...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[BjornBee]

Harassing?  I'm not sure I see that.

Do we need inspections? As I said, I'd vote for them all to go.

I do find interest in you comment that commercial beeks should (I assume) be inspected. Why?

What number makes you inspectable?

It's like saying "Inspect the zoos, but leave me alone. I have only one tiger on my property"

How many tigers, or how many beehives should one get to keep before having them registered should be required? If you were sitting on a city ordinance board, how do you balance freedom of the individual, and the protection of the public? Should we allow 100 hive on that quarter acre lot in the middle of the city while demanding that individual rights trump other concerns?

I guess we should demand that since our vehicles are not commercial and for private transportation, that only commercial vehicles should be registered. Why are they picking on me? Does the state really need to inspect my truck? If it is broke, I can't drive it. And certainly nobody would ever think of taking an unsafe vehicle on the road. I bet with no inspections and registration, vehicles would be much safer after requiring the individual to assume that responsibility.  :roll: We can have a "Check it twice" program where with your signature, and any other person verifying your vehicle is safe, that this would suffice for any inspection service now required.  ;)

Now what exactly are the bee inspectors protecting us from? Nothing.  

As I said, I could care less for inspectors. But I am not sure for 5 dollars a year, and what they provide, that some voluntary community or association based program would be any better.

Our funding is very minimal. I think we have 5 inspectors this year. About 25 hours a week, for 5 months, at 13.50 an hour. Why do you think I'm no longer an inspector?  :-D  And people wonder why the job is a rotating position with weak qualified applicants.

If I was governor, that program would get chopped.

[Kathyp]

I do find interest in you comment that commercial beeks should (I assume) be inspected. Why?

What number makes you inspectable?

because the state does have a legitimate interest in commerce.

I guess we should demand that since our vehicles are not commercial and for private transportation, that only commercial vehicles should be registered. Why are they picking on me? Does the state really need to inspect my truck? If it is broke, I can't drive it. And certainly nobody would ever think of taking an unsafe vehicle on the road. I bet with no inspections and registration, vehicles would be much safer after requiring the individual to assume that responsibility.   We can have a "Check it twice" program where with your signature, and any other person verifying your vehicle is safe, that this would suffice for any inspection service now required. 

when is the last time your vehicle was inspected for safety?  they do emissions tests in my state.  they charge a fortune for it.  they don't care how safe my car is they only care that i am not polluting according to their standards.  i'd get rid of that in a heartbeat and the EPA.
vehicle registration is just a tax called a fee.

[BjornBee]

Wow...I think I'll move west.

Around here, the state inspection involves brakes, working lights, tires, and other stuff.
Vehicle unsafe....no registration.

Far different than the day I pulled into "Bubba's" garage in Mississippi for a state inspection in my Yankee vehicle with Pennsylvania plates. He said "Turn on your headlights." I did. Then he said "Come on in here and sign this" He said "that would be 8 dollars". I said "EIGHT DOLLARS!" He said "Yeah, ain't that a shame, it went up two dollars this year".  ;)

Of course we were already paying 24 dollars in Pennsylvania, and the inspection was far beyond whether your lights worked. Of course, I seen some real pieces of crap on the road while living in Mississippi in the 80's.

So your saying it's like that still in Oregon? No safety checks at all. Sweeeeet!  :-D

[Haddon]

If I were you I would run nice queens walk around the yard with queen marking pens in my pocket and remember that queens only live for about 5 year so get new papers every five years Oh and use the right color pens. But if your bees are nice mark that queen and go on no one really cares about AHB genes they just don't want you raising mean bees. Same reason no one liked my Grandfathers Black German wild bees he ran and they are the reason my father hates bees they were mean with out question.

For your sake if you have a mean hive get ride of it I had one that would attack 30 to 40 foot from the hive last year and you will become gun shy working a hive like that in my head I know my hives this year are nice but I still duck when I have no need too.

I am in MS too and now the only real check is for if you have window tent then the highway patrol must inspect it and last inspection sticker I got I only paid 5.00 buck. Now our tags can be in the thousands depending on what you drive.

[Michael Bush]

>when is the last time your vehicle was inspected for safety?

That would be decades ago in Colorado...

[hankdog1]

>when is the last time your vehicle was inspected for safety?

That would be decades ago in Colorado...

Think it really depends on the guy doing the inspecting.  I have to have all working lights good tire tread working wipers.  They must also inspect the breaks and exhaust pipes.  That being said most guys it's lights horn wipers and you get a sticker.  They just don't make enough off the stickers to do what the state asks of them.

[Kathyp]

our DMV inspection is 21 it was 12 the time before.  all they do is check to see what you are spewing.  doesn't matter if you have a new car, you must go through. takes about 10 min. 

[Terrex]

Whew!  I have started a real bee hive here...so sorry.


The reason for top entrance for me is simple.    Don't let the "Sunshine State" fool you, it is hot and humid. Moisture drips off the house every morning, everything is wet, then the heat gets turned on.  Our A/C just pours water out the drain.   Can't decide which is worse most days in the summer. So Ventilation is a must so as to not put the bee under stress.    We live out in the country...No housing around, so we have LOTS of wild critters that are interested in the hive.  To get a good air flow helps with dehydrating the honey down to 18% before being capped.  Helps with over heated bees that are stuck in the hive taking care of brood.  Now this is Top entrance WITH a SBB.

>Hey Terrex, where are you in the panhandle? I used to live in P-Cola


We live close to Paxton.

No, I am not even interested in a AHB.  Not interested in a aggressive hive. I do understand why they are "recommending" re-queening ...but every 6 months or even every year???  Geez, seems excessive.  Plus, if you re-queen that often, how do you keep the genetics of the bee hive going?  But things do go wrong, and you lose the queen, whether to old age (maybe) or birds, maybe she was killed by you, then you of course would have to re-queen.

I am out at the hive everyday.  I am NO expert, I have gone into the hive several times without protective wear.  The inspector told me to light up my smoker...Told him that I never had used it.  So I got it for him, but asked him not to smoke  heavy.  He also told me to suit up.  I just shook my head no.  He said OK??  He lit the smoker and gave it a puff, I told him that was enough, that the bees get very confused and ask him if he was alright with this...he said,  well I will take your word for it.  We had no problems, the bees did not even land on us.  He did take his time looking at everything and it was getting cool.  When he closed it up it said everything was nice and clean. ( Well, I guess so,,,my hive is new)    I was already miffed...to put it nicely, but then he turned and sat on my hive like a chair so that he could talk.  I wanted to deck him.

 This inspector said that he would CALL to make the appointment for next year.  
 
Florida does not have car inspections.  We pay for tags thur the mail.   Plus this year, they sent me a notice to renew my drivers license.  We did it on line, they used the picture from the old license.  Sweet.

  

  

[Kathyp]

Whew!  I have started a real bee hive here...so sorry.

not to worry.   at least we are not AHB hives   :evil:

[iddee]

You may not use smoke now, but you will after a while. About the first or second time your "gentle" bees give you 100 plus stings within 10 seconds of opening the hive. It's not a matter of if, it's just a matter of when.

I never go into a hive without smoke. They have taught me well.

[hankdog1]

I will give a little advice about that smoker and using it Iddee didn't give you details of what can and eventually will happen.  I bought a swarm off a lady and her hubby very nice couple.  Brought it home left it in the back of the truck over nite with a screen covering the entrance.  Next morning bright and early loaded it up in the Mule (ATV not the kind that eats hay) and took it up to it's new site a large rock.  Opened it up and they came boiling out right at the face.  Don't know how many stings i took lost count and looked like i was on the losing end of a prize fight.  Moral of the story if i wasn't so lazy and fired up the smoker and gave them a few puffs i wouldn't have looked that way.  Also i would have deprived my buddy of getting to laugh his butt off at me that morning as i met him to go help with his bees.  Smokers are very good trust me i never touch a hive without having one lit.   :-D 

[Terrex]

 I really have no problems with a smoker...but I do have a problem when the hive get so much smoke that it looks like its on fire.  Smoke coming out the top and entrance so bad that you have to wait for some wind to pull it away, and they just keep on smoking it. 
Today we were out.  A friend that is helping me came when we were not here and did not know he was coming.  Needless to say, the front entrance is burned on the hive...he is big on smoking it up...just wonder how the frames look now. There does not seem to be activity...I think that I saw 3 bees coming out... miffed

[iddee]

Like booze, a little is good. A lot is terrible. Two puffs in the entrance and one across the frames when the inner lid is lifted. Then only when the sound of the hive changes.

[fish_stix]

Terrex; you seem to have a big chip on your shoulder. The FL inspections were mandated many years ago when AFB was raging not only in FL but around the nation. Sorry to tell you this but 98% of hobby beekeepers wouldn't know AFB from dog poop. At this point in time, thanks to the efforts of the states and those lousy, intruding inspectors, AFB is a fairly rare occurrence. As for the FL Best Management Practices, you probably don't need to heed them in your area, YET!!! No one will come and force you to install new queens, even when the Panhandle becomes an active AHB area. If you can live with the AHB have at it! They're your bees. I happen to live in a known AHB area, the inspector is a great guy and commercial beek himself. He looks for AFB, points out any other problems if you have them and leaves. If we have a hive of mean bees he puts on his veil, usually doesn't use one, and keeps on inspecting. No requirements for queen receipts or anything else. You're making a big fuss over piddling details.