----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike S" <[log in to unmask]>

>>I can remember the first hive of bees that I had.

Back when the world was young and I was even more foolish than now, it was 
maybe my third or fourth hive that taught me a valuable lesson.  We did not 
have any mites, and colonies sometimes got to be enormous.

I took a colony out of a house. We thought it was in the wall, but a 
substantial portion of it was between the joists under the second floor. It 
was an all day job, and the last of the comb was scraped with a hoe from as 
far as my arm and the hoe length could reach.

I carefully tied the brood comb into frames as I had read in one of my 
books. The combs with honey went into pails, and somehow I got the bulk of 
them into one deep.

When I got done, I had to presume the queen was in my box, as the majority 
of the bees were staying there. I left the hive at the site, just below 
where I had removed them, as I'd been told they would remove the drippings 
and scraps of honey.

I came back to pick them up a couple days later, as the sun was going down. 
I had to wait a bit, as many were still flying, but it looked like they were 
in the hive OK. In fact a lot of them were hanging up the front of the hive.

It was nearly dark when I finally picked up the hive to carry it down a 
steep slope to my pickup, which I had parked as close as possible, about 25 
feet from the hive. I had no inkling in those times of stapling the bottom 
board to the hive body, so I was just holding it together.

At any rate I soon got stung on my hands, and I dropped the hive. It flew 
apart and bees were scattered everywhere.

My memory gets a little fuzzy beyond that point. I think the first thing I 
did was to sit down and cry.

It was nearly 50 miles to my home and I had little chance to come back for 
several days, so I was determined to finish the job and get that thing on 
the tailgate. Somehow I accomplished it, but, of course, with many more 
stings.

If I recall rightly, the bees did just fine in their new location, but I 
know I was plenty sore from all the stinging.

My high-tuition lesson from the University of the Seat of the Pants was: 
NEVER, NEVER drop a hive that you are carrying. If they sting you, grin and 
bear it for a few more seconds, as it will never be as bad as it could be.

Dave Green

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