"this forum is messed up" Do I detect a little frustration in your tone? It's okay, we all get a little frustrated from time-to-time. Usually frustration is caused by a lack of expectations being met. And I guess that's the main point I'd like to make: about expectations. I have been a member of Beesource for a few years now (since Jan'03) - I'm not as active there now as when I first joined. I joined this GardenWeb forum a little earlier (Nov'01). And my beekeeping experience goes back quite a few years before that. I've always seen the two forums as being intended for somewhat different audiences. For "serious" beekeepers, regardless of experience level, I'd highly recommend Beesource. But like anywhere on the net, it's "buyer beware". While there are some very good and knowledgeable experts there (in fact, many); there are also some I would have to consider being just shy of quacks (fortunately, it doesn't seem like they post very often). At least from my perspective, this forum has a slightly different target audience. The main thrust behind Beesource IS beekeeping - not so with this website. The main thrust behind GardenWeb is gardening (of which Bees & Beekeeping is just one small branch). This forum tends to get a lot of wonderers in from other GardenWeb forums. Usually they have sought out this forum because of some type of "bee problem". And, as has been noted, we also get some enthusiastic new beekeepers or those who have just begun to consider the idea. So while Beesource offers a very detailed (and even, 'technical') discussion of virtually all aspects related to keeping honeybees, this forum is more general in nature (thus the Mason bee topics, Carpenter bee topic and the occasional wasp or Bombus discussion). After many years of the regular old style beekeeping (i.e., with the use of chemicals), I went organic (chemical free) a few years before I joined this forum. So I have managed to discontinue the use of chemicals completely for several years now (mainly via genetic selection). This past winter I had the highest loss in several years (about 20%) - which I see labeled as a "normal" loss to be expected - it typically hasn't been a normal loss for me. Now I say all this to allow the understanding of my position on chemicals. However, I have also written in this forum and explained the use of Sevin dust and/or the use of soapy water to, on occasion, remedy a situation with a problem hive. I will undoubtedly do this again in the future when, in my opinion, based on the circumstances the original poster has described, the situation is warranted. It does not mean that it is necessarily a "first choice" (with the possible exception of an AHB situation) nor does it mean I take the recommendation to carry out such activity lightly. What it does mean, is that given the specific situation the poster has described, it is a recommendation that can (and perhaps, should) be considered at that point in time. When it comes to PR (public relations/public perception) regarding honeybees, there is nothing more disastrous than having unwanted bees continuing to cause problems (whether it be on public land or on private property). Whenever I have recommended such an extreme measure as killing a hive, it has only been after I, or other posters have advanced and exhausted all other available options for removal (again, with the possible exception and likelihood of it being Africanized). It is logical for a homeowner to try and locate a local beekeeper that will come and remove the problem hive rather than run the risk of being stung themselves. But when a local beekeeper can't be found or the homeowner determines affordability is an issue, then other options have to be considered. It is not acceptable to most homeowners to just say be patient (and wait to be stung - at least in their minds), especially if there are young children around. It's WHY they bring their problem to this forum. Many are not interested in becoming beekeepers; however, most are intellectually curious and wanting to learn more about the particulars of the problem they're experiencing. I would actually hope the new beekeepers in this forum, do in fact' explore the web for ALL the information they possibly can glean from the internet (not just Beesource) - there are some wonderful beekeeping sites out there! Some may get to the point where they feel they've "out grown" this GardenWeb forum but that's just the nature of such websites....beekeepers come, beekeepers go. As you learn more and more and are willing to share your knowledge and experience, this forum is a very good way to share (but it, by no means, is the only way).

Here's the recipe for the pie. And yes, I'm sure you can use pecans. It's very much like a pecan pie. I found that the center was not completely "solid" at the end of baking time, but it firms up after cooling. Deanna Honey-Walnut Pie Ingredients: pastry for 9" one-crust pie, (see 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup corn syrup 1/2 cup honey 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups walnut pieces Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pastry. Beat remaining ingredients except walnuts with hand beater in medium bowl. Stir in walnuts. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Cover edge with 2" strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 45-55 minutes or until set. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until chilled. Immediately refrigerate any remaining pie.

Katie, I'm not sure how well vegetables would work. There might be people that would love them, but we don't usually have that many vegetables. The stuff that I usually see includes perennials, some annuals, shrubs, small trees, tropicals, houseplants, succulents, pond plants, seed, gardening tools, gardening supplies, and garden craft/art. My guess is that for vegetables to go over successfully, they'd need to be something at least a little hard to find or unusual, but that's just a guess. The best way to see what would go over well is to post what you could bring on the Swap Forum on our website. Another thing you could do is look through last year's pre-trade posts to get an idea of what people might like. Unfortunately all of the pre-trade posts prior to last fall's swap are no longer accessible due to site upgrades, but there should still be enough from last fall to give you some ideas. Here is a link that might be useful: ETPS Swap Forum

Who knew deciding on a range was so tough? We agonized for months during a new build and finally found the BS. We had looked at all the regular ranges, plus Bertazonni (we thought it felt cheaply constructed) and something else I don't even remember. I drove quite a distance to see a BS in person and never looked back. Final decision came down to BS or American Range. We did NOT want electronics that would fritz out on us. Glad we went with our gut on that. We hope to never buy another stove. This thing is simple, straightforward, attractive and a dream to run. 12 months now into a 30" RCS. We were concerned about 15,000 btus, but it has never been an issue. Cooking is a pleasure. Total control. There were a few minor adjustments needed at the outset and a tech came far, far out of his way (we live in a rural area) to tweak it to perfection, and teach me the tweaks, too. It was set up for natural gas, but we run propane and since propane is heavier, it sinks before ignition and sparks need to aim down slightly. The tech/rep adjusted this with a needle-nose wrench and there hasn't been a single issue since. The local distributor said it was set up for propane. But... not. Miscommunication at that level, but otherwise complaint-free. One clicker got killed by a boil-over. BS sent a replacement and a spare overnight and it took about 3 minutes to install. I love the stove's simplicity. It is easy to clean. Good baking. Great stovetop. Drip tray is great. Very large oven for a 30" range. I love the darned thing! We are glad we did months of research because I had never heard of this make before. Never thought I'd be a big fan of a kitchen appliance. But go figure!