Bug House - Good Or Is It Bad?

[+Team Giblert]

Recently we were chalenged by a situation that happened at our bug house, a person came by and grabbed a large number of travel bugs, without leaving any. This was in breach of one of the rules we posted for the bug house to maintain a minimum number of bugs in the bughouse. As the keeper of the bug house, we beleive that they exist so that cachers (especially from out of town) visits, that they have a guaranteed place to SWAP travel bugs.

 

-- Are rules like this a good thing or a bad thing?

 

-- What makes a good bug house?

 

-- Is taking without leaving OK? And, is it any different than going to someone's regular cache and posting a "Took Everything - Left Nothing, will move items on to another cache"?

 

-- Is it OK to disrespect the wishes of a cache owner re: trade rules?

 

-- What is reasonable for a bug house with 318 log entries in 26 months (10-15/month)?

 

Oddly enough in the past, I've even voiced my opinion against a travel bug house with a (high) limit, as it had very low visits (20 bugs, 1-2 visitor/month), yet here I am voicing that people should respect limits if they're reasonable.

 

OPINIONS?

[+ibycus]

-- Are rules like this a good thing or a bad thing?

 

bad.

-- What makes a good bug house?

 

I'm kinda against them generally, but at the very least, no 'trade rules'.

 

-- Is taking without leaving OK? And, is it any different than going to someone's regular cache and posting a "Took Everything - Left Nothing, will move items on to another cache"?

 

Travel bugs aren't generally considered trade items. They remain the property of their owner, the owner has a goal for the bug. It isn't up to you to impose any further restrictions.

 

-- Is it OK to disrespect the wishes of a cache owner re: trade rules?

 

Yep. They aren't your bugs. Trade Rules are going to tend to artificially hold up bugs in your 'bug house'.

 

OPINIONS?

 

You've created a travel bug prison. Bugs are likely to get stuck there for an extended period of time. Further if the cache ever gets plundered, you've caused goodness knows how many bugs to go missing.

 

If you insist on having a 'bug house' I'd remove the trade restrictions all together, further, keep an eye on the bugs in the cache. If one hangs around too long, go back to your cache, and move it on.

Make sure your cache isn't in an easily mugglable location.

 

A quick search in the forums for "travel bug prison' in the forums will turn up some long threads on this.

[+ibycus]

Just looked over the bugs that were taken. Looks like they wanted to travel. Sounds like they were filling the bugs objectives to me. Good on em'.

[+DocMagoo]

Recently we were chalenged by a situation that happened at our bug house, a person came by and grabbed a large number of travel bugs, without leaving any. This was in breach of one of the rules we posted for the bug house to maintain a minimum number of bugs in the bughouse. As the keeper of the bug house, we beleive that they exist so that cachers (especially from out of town) visits, that they have a guaranteed place to SWAP travel bugs.

 

-- Are rules like this a good thing or a bad thing?

 

I think that you've got to determine how you want the cache to operate. People who drop TBs have minds too and can decide for themselves not to drop the TBs in their possession in that cache if they see a particular rule that they don't agree with.

 

A TB hostel I placed had a restriction on it at one point, but after a month or so, we removed that restriction to make it that no trades of Travel Bugs are required to retrieve or "drop" a Travel Bug in that cache.

I figured that the purpose of this cache was/is to help Travel Bugs (TBs) along in meeting their goals. If someone could help every bug in the cache and decided to pick up the entire lot, so be it. The amusing thing is that I received PMs from some cachers mentioning, to their disappointment that there were hardly any, or no TBs in the cache when they visited it.

 

-- What makes a good bug house?

 

I sort of think contrary to some who believe that no bug house is a good bug house. With the profileration of micros out there, in some areas it's particularly hard to find suitable places to drop bugs. At the time of when I placed our TB hostel, several TBs stalled in the area or either came through the area, went over to the Island or Vancouver area and then returned once again to languish in the Valley. There was a need to get them out of the area.

 

Also, as a TB owner, I've seen some of my bugs stall and disappear. At least with a local TB cache, I can remind with a friendly note that a TB is still in the cachers' possession and direct them to a suitable cache to get them on the road again. To answer your question, a good bug house is one that keeps bugs moving, is close enough to a major artery/hwy/airport, and is hidden in such a way that being muggled is unlikely.

 

-- Is taking without leaving OK? And, is it any different than going to someone's regular cache and posting a "Took Everything - Left Nothing, will move items on to another cache"?

 

Hmmm....I'm with ibycus on this one. The contents belong to other cachers.

[+Team Giblert]

Hmmm....I'm with ibycus on this one. The contents belong to other cachers.

 

Interesting. So if I leave a troll doll in a cache, it's not mine, but if I attach a piece of aluminum to it, I retain ownership? I thought the piece of Aluminum was to track where it went, not an 'ownership' tag.

[+WildGooseChase]

Hmmm....I'm with ibycus on this one. The contents belong to other cachers.

 

Interesting. So if I leave a troll doll in a cache, it's not mine, but if I attach a piece of aluminum to it, I retain ownership? I thought the piece of Aluminum was to track where it went, not an 'ownership' tag.

 

Yes the "piece of Aluminum" is an ownership tag. Here is a screenshot of a TB I own but released to travel.

[+ibycus]

Hmmm....I'm with ibycus on this one. The contents belong to other cachers.

 

Interesting. So if I leave a troll doll in a cache, it's not mine, but if I attach a piece of aluminum to it, I retain ownership? I thought the piece of Aluminum was to track where it went, not an 'ownership' tag.

 

It's essentially a convention within the community. Travel Bugs are exempt from normal trading rules. Anything that interferes with their ability to travel freely is a bad thing.

 

I routinely take bugs without leaving anything in return.

[+Shawn&Holly]

I have to agree, TBs are to travel and not a trade item, often I will trade to take them, but not always. When I drop one off, I do not take anything unless it is another TB. I do not like TB hotels/motels/hostels, when they go missing the contents are always TBs and usually more then one and I rarely follow the rules of the hotel. Don't take one unless you leave one, with this rule, if I take 1 and leave 2, the TBs can build up. I still feel very guilty about trading out most of the TBs and leaving 3 or 4 in a local TB hotel, the TBs I left stayed through a few more visits and then the cache vanished. I've also had a TB stranded for several months in a very busy TB hotel, guess it just did not interest anyone trading for TBs and some had already moved the TB, very frustrating. One thing, if I feel a cache is in a bad place, I will not leave a TB and remove any in the cache, including a TB hotels.

[+M.S. thebrain and Pinky]

I was the cacher who violated the Quota at the bug hotel. It was not done with malice. The wife and I are going Stateside this weekend and I was in the neighbourhood and wanted to drop of a Canadian geocoin. As I knew I could move some bugs I took them. The cache in question is well located and seems to have good movement. It appears that the majority of the caching community does not approve of so called "Quotas"or anything that restricts the movement of a Travelbug. Its good that we have these Forums so we can talk about these things in the open. I hope there are no hard feelings as my intentions were for the movement of the travelbugs.

msthebrain and Pinky

[+BlueDeuce]

A good thought on the subject.

 

If a travel bug hotel is in a good spot for the quick and easy exchange of travel bugs, then an empty hotel won't stay empty long. People are always looking for a convenient place to drop bugs off. The owner of a well-placed hotel should actually be pleased if the hotel is occasionally empty, since it shows that the hotel is serving its purpose: to get bugs moving quickly. And if a hotel does stay empty for long periods of time without the cache owner continually raiding other caches to re-stock it, then it's not a good place for a travel bug hotel.

[Mr.Yuck]

Hmmm....I'm with ibycus on this one. The contents belong to other cachers.

 

Interesting. So if I leave a troll doll in a cache, it's not mine, but if I attach a piece of aluminum to it, I retain ownership? I thought the piece of Aluminum was to track where it went, not an 'ownership' tag.

 

Trust me on this. If you posted over at the Travel bug Forum that you had a "Travel Bug Prison" (which is what they refer to them over there as) where you impose travel restrictions on other people's travel bugs, you'd get flamed 50 times by 50 different posters in the first hour.

[+BlueDeuce]

I'm on standby!

 

[+northernpenguin]

I'm on standby!

 

 

Now that's what I need to get at some of the TB Hotel/Prison's around here during winter.

[Mr.Yuck]

 

Now that's what I need to get at some of the TB Hotel/Prison's around here during winter.

 

Now it's not a prison, unless the owner implements one for one trading, minimum number of TB's in the cache etc.... I do notice the OP's Bug House cache description has been placed on a "TB Prison" bookmark list, which is displayed on the cache page, most likely just very recently by the owner of the list seeing this very thread. TB Prisons (READ ME!)

 

Few topics in the geocaching forums generate such an overwhelming and vehement negative response than TB trading requirements!! I think this list is a little too vigilant (as are any negative bookmark lists, such as a lame micro list), but I'm sure it's just the list owners way of educating the masses.

Edited March 13, 2006 by TheWhiteUrkel

[BC Tripper]

I'd say that I'm with the herd on this one. I pretty much take them whenever they're in a cache, but I never leave anything in return unless it's another bug. But I also wont take anything from a cache in trade for a TB. That being said, I don't think I could conscientiously clear out an entire TB hotel in one swoop.

 

BC Tripper

[+ibycus]

I think if I was going somewhere, and I planned on doing a lot of caching while I was there, I might pick up any bugs in the hotel that 'just wanted to travel' and get them moving.

 

Obviously if any wanted to go north, and I was going south or whatever, then it would be a different story.

 

Couple of points worth noting:

 

1) The bugs in question all stated more or less that they just wanted to travel

2) the cacher in question was going traveling.

3) None of the bugs had been the cache very long. (kind of speaks against the idea that the bugs are being held up here, although I object to the prison on 'ethical' grounds anyways

[+Geofellas]

 

It's essentially a convention within the community. Travel Bugs are exempt from normal trading rules. Anything that interferes with their ability to travel freely is a bad thing.

 

I routinely take bugs without leaving anything in return.

 

I agree completely with ibycus

 

Now, around here we have someone who regularly raids TBs and then holds on to them for months on end - at last count he had over 30 in his posession - some for more than a year - and some that were in races. Despite gentle comments directly to him there was a total lack of understanding about the situation.

;)