Why do you have a problem with the way I manage my hives, my operation, or swarms. Are you my mother?
I could care less how you manage your hives, swarms, etc. - as long as it does not affect me. When you try to justify bad behavior on your part, that affects me as a beekeeper by giving me a bad name. The court of public opinion will convict me of being guilty by association, simply because I am a beekeeper also.
I have a problem with ANYONE who asks others around them to cover their butt because they are too lazy/incompetent/irresponsible/etc. If you won't make the time to manage your hives to control swarming, don't ask anyone to watch for your swarms. If you cared if your hive swarmed or not, you would have taken steps to control swarming.
Do you really have a problem and get all worried about others with little things like this all the time?
I won't stand back quietly when I see lazy people asking others to support their bad behavior. (I despise welfare cases.) People have a moral duty to speak out against bad behavior.
One thing I know in life is scum, usually make excuses for other scum. One thief, has no problems with another thief. And one person with low morals, always feels comfortable defending others with low morals.
Is that why you are making excuses for your bad behavior?
The inverse is also true. People who have a problem with others being irresponsible or lazy tend to be harder working and responsible. They do what needs to be done, and they don't ask others to call them if their hive swarms because they neglected to manage it properly.
You had bees on my property.....I would call you.
And I would tell you that if you were worried about the swarm, to go get a box of your own and put the swarm in it. Enjoy your bees.
And if I had bees on your property, you have made it clear that this is not your job, you would have no respect for me, and would rationalize probably not calling me by suggesting that I was lazy.
I wouldn't need to rationalize, nor would I need to suggest anything. The facts speak for themselves. (Besides, you already admitted that you don't manage your hives properly to control swarming.)
That is the difference between you and me. I would call that farmer when the water pump stayed on and the tank was over flowing. I would call that farmer when the cows got out. And I would say something about the folks in the orchard when they were not supposed to be there. You see....that is who I am.
But are you a person who has enough brains to recognize the difference between swarms due to neglecting your responsibilities, and livestock getting out due to outside influences like a damaged fence or outside influences like thieves?
There is a big difference between consequences of our own actions, and consequences of actions by others or outside influences.
And I would not as you have suggested, call the farmer lazy, or feel that he was not doing his job by having such items happen.
Once again, it should depend on if it was an accidental, or if it was intentional neglect. Are you going to call a farmer when their livestock keeps walking through a broken down fence every single time you are there? Or are you finally going to realize that you are wasting your time trying to help someone who is too lazy/irresponsible to help themselves? If they were that worried about keeping their livestock in, they would maintain the fence.
And my farmers also know that if they see something with my hives....whether a swarm, or a lid blown off...they do the right thing and call me.
There is a difference between neglect and accident. I would hope the farmers would realize there is a difference.
Sorry if your view of others is less than what I experience. The old saying is "You want a good neighbor...be a good neighbor". "You want a good friend, then be a good friend".
Being a good neighbor and being a good friend does not involve picking up the slack for them due to them being lazy/irresponsible. That actually makes you a bad friend, and a bad neighbor by enabling them to be lazy/irresponsible.
Don't forget that good fences make good neighbors too.
The only concept that I have a hard time following is your anal approach on caring, responding, and worrying so much as to what I do, don't do, and what relationship I have with my customers.
Because you are trying to rationalize and justify not properly managing your hives (your words) and expecting others to pick up the slack for you. I could care less if you manage your hives properly or not - but don't expect others to pick up the slack for you when you don't properly manage your hives. Grow a pair - be a man, and accept the consequences of your decisions. If you won't take the time to properly manage your hives, accept that swarms will fly away and don't expect anyone to call you about it.
Maybe you should focus your energy on building better relationships, (if you have any) and know that others are doing far better than the suggested relationships you must have, based on the attitude you display.
I find that the relationships I build, folks know where I stand. They know I accept full responsibility and the consequences/rewards of my decisions, and I expect them to accept full responsibility and the consequences/rewards of their decisions.
It's simple......I call the farmer when the cows get out, and he calls me when the bees swarm. He is happy, and so I am.
Did his cows get out because of a decision he made? Did he neglect to maintain a fence, or did the livestock get out due to accident?
You've already admitted that the bees swarm due to your neglect. If he calls you, of course you're happy because he just covered your butt.
If his livestock gets out due to accident, and you call him - he's happy, because he thinks you're being a good neighbor. In reality, all you did was give him a kiss while you took advantage of him. (After all, you did say that you calling him about his livestock being out was conditional upon him calling you about swarms due to your neglect.)
Try it some time. you may like it.
No thanks. I'm not interested in giving anyone a reach-around while I screw them over. (I don't care if they would be happy with the kiss or not.) I'd prefer to treat them fairly, and have my dignity.
Try it sometime. You may like it. I'm sure they will.
I don't think there is a farmer here that takes such a non shellant attitude about their livestock.
I've known of farmers who let livestock starve to death so they could collect insurance.
I've known of farmers who drag their feet getting their crops harvested, and wildlife decimates their crops through the winter ('Late Nate' comes to mind).
I've known farmers whose livestock kept getting out and eating neighboring farmer's crops - and he only fixed the fence when the grain farmer ordered the hired hands to shoot the livestock on sight if they were seen eating the crops.
There are responsible farmers, and there are irresponsible farmers. There are responsible beekeepers who properly manage their hives to control swarming, and there are irresponsible beekeepers who choose not to properly manage their hives to control swarming.
People should be smart enough to be able to recognize the difference.
BTW, it is nonchalant, and not non shellant.
it costs big bucks for livestock and if one gets out and you hit it with your car the farmer looses the animal and pays for your car.
If the farmer is too lazy to maintain the fence, he has only himself to blame. He should have thought of the cost to begin with.
If a beekeeper is too lazy to manage a hive to prevent swarming, he (or she) has only themself to blame. They should have thought of the cost of losing a swarm before they decided they didn't want to make the time to manage their hive properly.
It is a whole lot easier to plan ahead and act accordingly, than to fly by the seat of your pants and try to catch swarms after they have flown the coop. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.