Arguing about the bees

[YpsiBee2015]

I'm not sure if anyone else has run into this, but.......
 I was in an article in the Ann Arbor News about helping install 10 hives at our township building. Sounds great, and it was. the article, while nice, was thrown together by some non-beek journalist ( not going to bash them too hard, as I was one, and in TV News....) But the points were the same as any other honeybee article...
-Bees are dying
-pesticides
-furthering knowledge of bees and their impact.


There were a ton of people who kept going on about how the bees arent dying....its easy to keep bees.... so what is they die/die off during winter.... pesticides arent bad....etc

Plus 'why keep bees in a residential area? when I get stung, I'll just sue you!'

Just like most internet trolls....these idiots are just googleing facts. The one I was actually arguing about the pesticides, bee decline, etc never has interacted with bees, other then yellowjackets near his pool. Doesnt keep them, etc.

Does anyone else run into these types of idiots? Any advise on handling these people? I know, I know.....I should just ignore them, but that is no fun!

AHHHHHHHH. I hate stupid people.

-ypsi
 

[iddee]

Mark Twain once said,  ?Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.?

He had a point.

[YpsiBee2015]

True! Good point

[Michael Bush]

The public can be very emotional about bees.  First, they usually have them confused with yellow jackets (the cartoon bees are black and yellow and shiny... and even the beekeeping organizations seem to continue this myth by having yellow and black bees...) and they have probably been harassed by yellow jackets.  They also have probably had an itchy red reaction to bees which makes them think they are allergic and since they have heard that people who are allergic to bees can die from a sting, they are therefore terrified that the bees are going to kill them... add to that the "killer bee" press and you have a recipe for an irrational, emotional reaction...  Never mind that the world as we know it would not exist without bees...

[Sundog]

I grew up in A2 (Pioneer class of '69, snicker snicker)  It used to be a cool place so all the idiots moved there.  AA News has sucked for decades and their web site forums are impossible.  Just don't go there! 

But..  do a search on the site for "bees" and you find positive articles and good things going on such as...

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2015/07/ypsilanti_ypsilanti_township_t_1.html#incart_related_stories

Hang in!   

[Candiebears]

I try an educate people.. and then there comes appoint, where I'm just like "Ya, sure." and end it there.Some people debate just to debate and don't really care.

I've always been a 'save the bees' advocate and have talked about doing this for years. But I have noticed (in my whole whopping 5 months of being an 'official beek') I've educated WAY more people than dealing with an idiot like the ones you have.

I guess what I'm trying to say.. Is spend your time on the people who are interested or un-educated rather then the people just debating. Because of all the people I've told about my adventures... I've heard them all telling my story and educating more people about them.

My husband is a prime example. At first he him-hauled (sp?) about the idea [he was afraid my kids would get stung, we'd be over run with them, or they'd be mean] and now he tells everyone about them. He's even telling people at his work. (because if there's anything a bunch of guys working on a highway want to talk about.. it's honeybees right?)

The deli where my mom works, they all ask me about it. Her boss asks me all kinds of questions and wants to sell my honey exclusively when I get to that point. One of the new people who just got hired heard about it and has been asking me questions non-stop. Because now... he wants his own hive. :) While I'm in no position to give 'great' advice, its more rewarding to see people this interested then turning a hard core troll into a 'believer'.. lol

That's my story and I'm sticking to it....

[Michael Bush]

The funny thing is, people are surrounded already by insects and many of them stinging insects but since those insects have their own lives to live, they have very little interest in us unless we mess with their homes.  Their first misconception is that honey bees leave the hive every morning looking for people to sting.  The next is that a hive next door will make a significant difference in the number of insects they notice.  While I don't recommend working bees without protective equipment, I've noticed it goes a long way towards ending that myth that bees want to sting you.

[Hi-Tech]

I have converted a few friends into changing their minds about bees and a few actually want to get hives one day. What I have done is walk them down to my hives and let them see firsthand how close you can get without the bees bothering them. We sit and watch them for a few minutes and a lot of their fear disappears.

[Candiebears]

I have converted a few friends into changing their minds about bees and a few actually want to get hives one day. What I have done is walk them down to my hives and let them see firsthand how close you can get without the bees bothering them. We sit and watch them for a few minutes and a lot of their fear disappears.

My hubby did the same thing with all his family members. Is a very smooth talker and would talk to them while slowly walking to them up to the hive and before they knew it they were 2 feet away. They'd freak out when my kids went near my hive, but my 2 and 3 year old love watching them at the entrance. :) And my bees didn't bother anybody!

[YpsiBee2015]

I grew up in A2 (Pioneer class of '69, snicker snicker)  It used to be a cool place so all the idiots moved there.  AA News has sucked for decades and their web site forums are impossible.  Just don't go there! 

But..  do a search on the site for "bees" and you find positive articles and good things going on such as...

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2015/07/ypsilanti_ypsilanti_township_t_1.html#incart_related_stories

Hang in!   

That's the article I was arguing with A-Holes about... lol. I helped install those hives