# General beekeeping > Bee blether >  What I love about this forum....

## drumgerry

Not to get too mushy but....

This is a great forum, with a great friendly atmosphere (diametrically opposite to beekeepingforum) and populated by a bunch of helpful and slightly insane people.

As an example in the past week I've been given lots of great advice, sent two virgin queens free of charge by Gavin, and spent 45 minutes (after his 14 hour beekeeping day no less) on the phone with PeteL on the subject of II.  Jon, DR, Neil etc etc etc have a wealth of experience and knowledge and are only to happy to share.

These are quite rare things in my pretty wide experience of forums.  We don't even have any resident grumps!

So time to take stock and give thanks.

You guys are great....sniff.

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## The Drone Ranger

I'll second that Drumgerry
I'm waiting to see if Neil ever unboxes his Compound scope
And for hilarious reports on how many queens you stab to death before the first AI super queen rolls of the production line
Gavin's attempts to out gun the thousands of commercial hives with his large wing drones (biplane style) 
The grafts I made during the bad weather Sunday followed by cold nights have failed (one start only out of 12)
Without Jon's advice to check after a day I would have been wasting a lot of waiting time
Today or tomorrow I'll try again now weather is improving  :Smile:

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## Jon

Yes, there is some high quality nonsense talked on this forum. Long may it continue.
No better man than Pete-L for some advice on II.
The problem with BKF is that in part it was set up as a riposte to the BBKA forum which was seen as being overmoderated.
Actually it wasn't as there were about half a dozen who signed up from the biobees forum with the express intent of destroying it. They did the same with the BBKA Facebook page which was then pulled. There was no option but to get rid.
Some of the regular posters on BKF clearly need to be reeled in but the forum is hoist on its own petard.
There is too much whining about suppliers and other posters and not enough about beekeeping.
And that thing about not be able to say Thorne or Maisemore is like something out of Kafka.
I mean, people want to compare and contrast one supplier with another without all this nonsense.
But better to be positive about this one rather than negative about the others.
This forum has more of a focus on bee breeding and native stock which is more in line with my own interests.

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## Calum

There is a superb German forum where everything is better.
Its full of tools (and some really nice knowledgeable people drowned out by the shouting).
I much prefer it here, I wish Í could do more to support beekeeping in Scotland as there is enough here...

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## Dark Bee

> ..................................................  ..................................................  ..................................................  ..................................................  ....................But better to be positive about this one rather than negative about the others.
> This forum has more of a focus on bee breeding and native stock which is more in line with my own interests.


I concur with this attitude. I am not a compulsive member of forums and took a long time before joining here. 
There are undoubtedly some splendid members in the P****Yn**es forum :Smile:  and some who should not be allowed on any forum. But heaven help anyone there who does not pay due homage to the forum elders.

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## mbc

> There is a superb German forum where everything is better.
> .


There is a welsh forum which is even better than that, the quality of the nonsense is unabridged tomfoolery and every single put down and correction is liquid gold quality, unfortunately I'm the only member (tool) and the forum only exists in my head.
Long live the porridge jockeys amphitheater of apiarism !

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## drumgerry

The only thing I'll say in connection with the other forum is that I've given up on it completely.   After a couple of spats with some of the cantankerous argumentative crew during the winter it was dragging me down.  This place is like a breath of fresh air.

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## drumgerry

Aww mbc I was away to look the Welsh forum up till I read the last bit!  A leek munchers temple of beekeeping togetherness would be good don't you think?!  :Big Grin:

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## gavin

> So time to take stock and give thanks.
> 
> You guys are great....sniff.


Ya big softie!   :Embarrassment: 

To be fair to the BKF it is a rather busier forum than this one so you are more likely to get the odd misfit.  I do agree though that they should try harder to discourage the spiky and the arrogant.  And Pete L in DG's list of people to thank is more strongly associated with the BKF than this one.

Long may this one continue to be knowledgeable, helpful, welcoming, questioning.  Thanks folks.

Peace and goodwill to all beekeeping fora out there (except perhaps Biobees of course).  The NZ one always looked quite good when I popped in.

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## fatshark

drumgerry ... what? No mention for Kieth and his wasps? Shame on you. And shame on you for putting the phone down on PeteL after only 45 minutes  :Wink:   How else could the conversation last such a short time?

And in response to G's request for questions I've posted one in Queen Raising.

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## drumgerry

I hang my head in shame Fatshark  :Embarrassment:   How could I omit that paragon of waspy virtue?

Pete is a fine chap to have a chat with.  I'll be calling him back I'm sure.  He needs to write a book on II because some of the info he gave me just isn't available elsewhere.

And apologies to anyone I didn't mention.  All of the contributors to this forum bring something to the party and we'd be the poorer without them.

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## gavin

I did think that there was something odd about the 45 min claim.

Sent from my BlackBerry 8520 using Tapatalk

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## gavin

> Long may this one continue to be knowledgeable, helpful, welcoming, questioning.  Thanks folks.


And funny!  How could I miss the greatest attribute?  

We *can* do it without Droney but we do miss him dearly when he goes off in the winter months to hibernate/populate knitting fora/take off to his luxury villa in the Seychelles.

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## The Drone Ranger

Pentonville is a long way from the Seychelles 
I spend the winter making Cell punches 
(which I lose in Summer)

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## Neils

> I'm waiting to see if Neil ever unboxes his Compound scope


It has been used in anger, but the photo I posted of my Acarine sample was taken on a different one.  I'm off to visit Dan in a couple of weeks to do another Microscopy course but still very much a beginner at the moment.

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## The Drone Ranger

> It has been used in anger, but the photo I posted of my Acarine sample was taken on a different one.  I'm off to visit Dan in a couple of weeks to do another Microscopy course but still very much a beginner at the moment.


Hi Neils
Thought you would be too busy to go on a nosema search at the moment  :Smile: 
Collecting pollen samples will be on the agenda I expect 
Then you have something to mount up when the season ends

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## Neils

> Hi Neils
> Thought you would be too busy to go on a nosema search at the moment 
> Collecting pollen samples will be on the agenda I expect 
> Then you have something to mount up when the season ends


Busy, but sadly not with bees. Work and, outside of that, frantically trying to organise basic assessments before I try and snatch a few days away to do a microscopy course. Having done my artificial swarms I haven't looked inside a hive for nearly three weeks.  :Frown:

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## The Drone Ranger

> Busy, but sadly not with bees. Work and, outside of that, frantically trying to organise basic assessments before I try and snatch a few days away to do a microscopy course. Having done my artificial swarms I haven't looked inside a hive for nearly three weeks.


Good luck getting on your course  :Smile: 
IMGP0692.jpg
IMGP0693.jpg
IMGP0695.jpg
This is my home made slide heater for making pollen sides (a Winter project ? )
It needs a new lid now  I was using it for wax embedding 
The control on the end is just a dimmer switch
Its been neglected for a long time and is filthy as you can see
Ruary recons a big tin with a light bulb inside is easier  :Smile:

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## Black Comb

What do out reckonit cost you DR?

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## The Drone Ranger

> What do out reckonit cost you DR?


Hi Black Comb

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-WHITE-...item589e8f1880
Dimmer switch is about £5-00 inc delivery
Plywood is cheap so maybe £2-00
Light batten holder   around  £3-00
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_tr...at=0&_from=R40

You need metal for the lid I just took a box lid and cut it down but a cheap loaf tin or baking tray from Tesco you can have a non stick surface for £2 or £3 I guess
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/cake-non-s...item3f240bb7c4
Need a bit of chopping and bending but a good search might find something the size you want before you make the box

The lead was an old extension lead which I just chopped down
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-WAY-EXTE...item2c6f738f70
about £3-50 or so to buy

Total about £15-00 if you buy everything

Mine cost about £5-00 for the dimmer switch the rest was a pile of old junk I had lying around  :Smile:

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## Black Comb

Thank you.
I bought this one which I think is good value if you do not fancy making your own.

http://highfieldbees.co.uk/products-...ols/hot-plate/

However, there is satisfaction in making stuff from spares and modest purchases.  Just wish I was more skilled (or any skilled).

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## The Drone Ranger

> Thank you.
> I bought this one which I think is good value if you do not fancy making your own.
> 
> http://highfieldbees.co.uk/products-...ols/hot-plate/
> 
> However, there is satisfaction in making stuff from spares and modest purchases.  Just wish I was more skilled (or any skilled).


No Black Comb I would say the one you have is much nicer and if I had known about it I would have bought one

I sometimes stand a jar of crystallising honey on the old heater plate just to re-liquify it slowly and gently

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## Black Comb

He's only just started selling these. I only know about it because I attended a microscopy course he runs.
Brunel also have a similar one but they charge about £95.
He seems to be cheaper than Brunel for microscopy bits and pieces.

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