Generation Bee - A campaign to cultivate new beekeepers!

[domino]

I think some would be best to stop and think then count to ten before hitting the keyboard.

1. This is NOT any sort of attempt to produce fully fledged apprentice bee FARMERS. People can learn a bit from her, but there is no pretence that once you have been with her to gain experience you will be anything more than a still relatively new beekeeper, however you will have seen the potential and the option to take it beyond amateur level if you so decide.

2. I know Luisa personally and also know her mentor who is a friend and colleague of many years standing in whom I have TOTAL trust. She is also a friend of my bee manager Jolanta. She has been out in the field with us for experience.

3. She is for real. An earnest young bee farmer with lots of novel ideas about business structures and fresh ways of looking at things, yet very sensible about the actual bees themselves.

4. She has limited funds available and sees this as a way to generate some funding (a modest amount really). I wish her well.

I don't doubt her sincerity but this is a good example we adverts aren't allowed on this site I guess; this an advert.

 

[Into the lions den]

I don't doubt her sincerity but this is a good example we adverts aren't allowed on this site I guess; this an advert.

Advert? I suppose arguably yes, all publicity can be considered that way. However, do you not think it an interesting line? I would rather be aware of such things than not. I have nothing to gain from such a scheme, but there might be others on here who, when they see this, might have a 'lightbulb moment' and think of doing similar.

So long as the development of beekeeping is at the core, and believe me, Luisa is no 'get rich quick' character, then I do not see a major issue. If it becomes commonplace then perhaps a section on its own, but for now I do not see this as a serious attempt to sell product. In the end it will be admins call, and with his past record on such things I would have total faith in his judgement on such matters.

 

[Tom Bick]

This way of raising money is gaining popularity and with the internet who knows who may pledge money and from what part of the world.

I spotted this advert last year and only exchanged pm’s with MuswellMetro on the forum regarding it but have just looked at it again following this thread and wow it looks like he got his £3000 and a bit more on top. He also had the same add running on a different site obviously looking to double his money but only managed £30 in pledges that time and failed. http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/beehappy/?

I think ITLD may well be right if the op gets enough pledges then it has to make you think.

 

[Generation Bee]

Hello, Mareike here!

First of all: Thanks for all the feedback.
And secondly: Sorry for not entirely sticking to the forum rules. I wasn't aware of some bits like that, I'm afraid:

'I normally receive a request asking if it's ok to pop a post on the forum when it is from a group and contains links to other websites.

On this occasion the pm/email seems to of not arrived.'

So for any further posts in that direction, I know how to proceed now.
__________________________________________________

We are no charity, only a group of people that met by chance (wwoofing, sharing flats and other occurrences) and liked Luisa's idea. I cut the video and made the website for the project, and also posted into this forum. But that was it, so I can hardly give any more details about the finances, than what you already know.

But I met all members of the Generation Bee Team and I can assure you, that it's a great bunch of people who want to learn and teach a lot about beekeeping and don't try to make a personal profit.

Luisa is our Bee Queen - the only one of us actually being able to care for bees so far. She is abroad at the moment, but I'm sure she could answer all questions regarding the finances (and everything else about the project) without any bad consciences. As far as I know she needs the money in advance to be able to produce 50 hives/colonies and host the two trainees, before she can sell any of them and think of a profit. All profits shall then go back into the apiary/possibly workshops or maybe next year a museum as well. Or in other words: back to the bees.

 

[Dishmop]

A business friend of mine who I had forwarded the website link to is still waiting for a reply to an email he sent on the 21st.....He's now lost interest.

 

[alldigging]

Just rereading it in case i have missed smethng and am beng too cynical.

So she is charging the wannabees to stay at her house to learn beekeeping?

Could they not be mentored nearer where they live?

 

[Generation Bee]

We try to answer all emails about the project. Everything we receive through the email address, mentioned in my first post, should on our radar screen and answered immediately. Not sure what happened with the message of your friend, but I will have a look if we missed something. Thanks for the hint.

Of course Luisa won't charge anyone who stays with her to learn beekeeping. But it will cost something to host the two Wanna-Bee-Keepers anyway, as they need accommodation. That's why she.. well, all of us count on the success of the Crowdfunding Campaign as well.

The two apprentices Jessie and Louis are experienced Wwoofers (world wide opportunities on organic farms) and I think in one of those occasions they also met Luisa and quickly found out they have some similar views and worries about the development of our environment. So the idea to teach them her skills in a comparable situation to wwoofing was born. I think that's the shortest way to explain why they want to learn beekeeping from her.

 

[John Mellis]

I am new to this form of communicating and apologise in advance for any breaches of etiquette.

I have read all of the comments on this thread and note the varying opinions. Those of you who are sceptical are right to be so, Generation Bee needs to be able to answer any reasonable questions. Here I declare an interest, I have been Luisa's beekeeping mentor since she made the decision that she wanted to make looking after bees her career. I continue to be astonished by her dedication and her ability to learn.

On the training aspect, I have had a lot to do with starting the BFA's apprenticeship scheme and know that it is hugely oversubscribed with 150+ applicants for the 8 available places. Luisa's aim is to help the two interested aspirants part of the way to serious beekeeping without charging them for the privilege. Sure they will help with the day to day work but she has to provide their food and accommodation.

Re the pricing of the hives. Some of you are not comparing like with like.
A Thorne's package of 6 frames in a plywood travelling box costs £250 on top of which you need to buy a hive; Luisa is trying to provide a full colony in a poly hive for less than the cost of the nuc. Yes, she still hopes to make a small profit but that will go straight back into bees.

This is a genuine attempt to do something to help restore bee numbers, if the message has not come across clearly it is to be regretted.

I believe it deserves our full support.

 

[John Mellis]

Generation Bee- A campaign to cultivate new beekeepers

This shows how inexperienced I am with this form of media.
I actually have around 400 colonies in both Smith and National poly hives while my profile shows me as having no hives.

 

[madasafish]

This shows how inexperienced I am with this form of media.
I actually have around 400 colonies in both Smith and National poly hives while my profile shows me as having no hives.

:Welcome:

You can change your profile and hive nos by clicking on "User CP" at teh top left of the Control Panel...

 

[alanf]

..Here I declare an interest, I have been Luisa's beekeeping mentor since she made the decision that she wanted to make looking after bees her career. I continue to be astonished by her dedication and her ability to learn...This is a genuine attempt to do something to help restore bee numbers, if the message has not come across clearly it is to be regretted.

Sounds fair enough. And welcome. Experienced and reasonable voices are always a good addition. It can get a little spiky at times, but I think most can pick out the agitators and those with hobby horses after a while.

I suppose most of us are wary of anyone asking for money. Sometimes the terminology doesn't help. The original idea of "crowd funding" as I understood it was raising cash by approaching the eventual customers directly. The notable example being the "pebble" watch, where potential purchasers were asked to buy a device they would like to own in advance, for which they are offered a discount on the eventual retail price as a partial offset of the risk of no delivery. When the target is reached a batch is developed, made and shipped out. It's a straight commercial venture, but the funding route is new compared with the more conventional investment means.

Hence, I think, the questioning of what a "crowdfunding" pitch is doing on a non commercial forum. What many of the projects seem to be now are sponsorship or philanthropic donations in return for a token or symbolic return. Which doesn't make the project invalid but if it's described as "crowd funding" that variation has to be made clear.

 

[DanBee]

Coming a little late to the discussion, I would second Murray's summary & John's amplifications.

I have met Luisa and spoken with her at some length about her move into commercial beekeeping; she is smart, committed, and has her head screwed on. She has sought out an excellent mentor, and is a hard worker with the drive to make it work.

Please do not think that she is another Heidi Hermann - quite the opposite, I would say!

 

[madasafish]

;;;
Please do not think that she is another Heidi Hermann - quite the opposite, I would say!

Heidi is an excellent publicist for bees and beekeeping, in my view.

 

[Tom Bick]

I have met

Please do not think that she is another Heidi Hermann - quite the opposite, I would say!

Well if she is going commercial then she will probably be quite different to Heidi Herman but nothing to suggest both won't do their best for their bees.