1. Do not include excessive quotes of previous submissions.   If you  must quote previous postings, include only what is necessary to make your point.   Submissions that include the entirety of previous posts will be rejected without comment or notice.
    
2. Submit your posts as TEXT ONLY!   There  are  many  subscribers whose mailers will not interpret text markup languages and to them submissions which include markup characters (such as HTML) appear as gibberish.   Submissions to BEE-L must be in the lowest common denominator for all subscribers, which is TEXT ONLY!   Posts submitted to BEE-L in markup languages will be rejected without notice.
    
3. Binary file attachments are not allowed on BEE-L.  Similar to markup languages, many subscribers  have mailers not able to decipher binary file attachments (such as MS Word attachments).  Submissions with binary attachments are never approved by the list moderators, most times without notice.  Suggestions for binary attachments include deciphering them at your end to include in the text of your submission or making them available at your site and advertising their availability on BEE-L. Please verify your URLs.  If detected, submissions with invalid or nonexistent URLs will not be approved, possibly without notice.
    
4. Do  not  send personal responses to the entire list.  If Bea Keepr posts something to the list that inspires  you to  write  to Bea, DO NOT send your personal response to BEE-L, send it to Bea!  Only send to the list that which you want read by everyone.  Submissions to the list that appear to be personal responses are rarely  approved   by the list moderators, often without notice.
    
5. Trolling (name calling, baiting, incivility) is not tolerated.  Heated discussions are allowed, after all we're beekeepers and may not always agree.  But as Rodney King put  it,  "Can't we all just get along?"   This is a grey area up to the discretion of the moderators, but offending submissions will be rejected without notice.
    
6. Do not send LISTSERV service requests to the list.   Requests of LISTSERV for list services must be sent to:LISTSERV@listserv.albany.edu   
   
   LISTSERV  service  requests  sent to BEE-L are never approved by the list moderators, no notice  is  given   and the requested service is not provided.
    
7. Submissions to BEE-L must be related to the "Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology".   SPAM is NEVER approved!    Furthermore, submissions must be "Informed"!  BEE-L is not intended to  be a substitute for beginning texts on keeping bees.  If your question is a basic beekeeping question,  it  has  probably been asked and answered on BEE-L before, perhaps many times.  Answers to frequently asked questions may  be  found by searching the BEE-L archives.  Submissions of frequently asked  questions may be approved or not, with or without notice.  Approved frequently asked questions  are often met with cries of "Search the Archives!".  Cries of "Search the Archives!" are sometimes approved to drive home the point, but rarely.
    
8. Submissions  to BEE-L should not contain misinformation.    Although slow to admit it, the moderators do not know it all.  However, blatant misinformation is rejected without notice.  Realizing there is a fine line between new, thought  provoking  ideas and misinformation the moderators strive for leniency in their judgment and prefer to err on the side of thought provoking ideas.  Reader beware that if you read it here it ain't necessarily so!
    
9. BEE-L is not a marketplace.   Product reviews are welcome.  Product announcements are  tolerated.   Repeated announcements and marketing are less welcome proportionately to  their  frequency.   Advertisements may be rejected without notice.
    
10. Lastly, long signature files are discouraged.  A  guideline  of five lines maximum is suggested.    Life histories and driving directions to your doorstep or place of business are strongly discouraged and are often rejected without notice.

The  BEE-L moderators and subscribers thank you in advance for adhering to these guidelines.   We hope you find your BEE-L experience informative, engaging, educational and most importantly, fun!