Stop Supporting Commercial Beekeepers

Dear treatment free beekeepers,

Please stop buying bees from commercial treating beekeepers.

It's like refusing to buy cheap plastic Chinese junk. Most people are still going to do it because it's cheaper and They are going to get cheap plastic junk. But I know there are many in this group who are much more conscientious than that.

When you buy packages from treating commercial beekeepers, you do one or more of the following:

You waste your money.

You perpetuate the problem of weak bees.

You show that the Commercial Beekeepers are right, that you're just a beehaver buying replacements for dead bees because you don't have any idea what you're doing.

You prop up a system of beekeeping which is bad for the environment.

You prop up a system of agriculture which is bad for the environment.

You prop up a system of beekeeping which is bad for the bees.

If you think you're "helping the bees" you're actually doing the opposite.

You feed a beekeeping philosophy which is intellectually bankrupt.

You hold this movement back by supporting its opponents.

You slow the progress of adaptation and evolution.

Look, we're gonna win. One day I will change the name of this group to "beekeeping" because treating won't be a thing anymore. But we need your help.

STOP SUPPORTING TREATING BEEKEEPERS.

Buy only TF bees.

Better yet, don't buy bees at all. Invest in swarm traps.

Let no swarm call go unanswered.

Split from your own stock. Split early. Split often.

This movement requires we change the status quo. The last time I bought commercial treated bees was 2003. I will never do it again.

Most of all, do your job as a beekeeper and mentor someone. Tell them not to buy packages or queens from treaters. Show them how to catch swarms. Teach them how to split, raise queens, make new hives.

This is happening. You can push us forward or you can hold us back. I am one person. The ball is in your court.