Hi all!  Glad to you have you back with the living Garth.

Today we finally had a break in the weather in Colorado and swarm season
drifted upon us!

I just got back from a house which I showed the home-owner how 'nice'
the bees are when in a swarm cluster by placing my bare hand into the
mix.  Open jaw and insert foot, because I was immediately met by angry
bees on my forehead, arm and finger as I retracted my hand.

In all my swarms, I've never been stung until now - unless of course, I
crush one.

Apparently, the longer story goes that these bees have been tormented by
neighborhood kids for the last four days.  The swarm found several
places to cluster around the house and one unfortunate bush was the
stage for a malady of sticks and rocks thrown or dropped upon them.

Sometimes it doesn't pay to take the nature of bees for granted.  You
just might find the bees know something you don't.

Matthew Westall
(with two 'nice' & one 'not-so-nice'  swarms to show for today)


       //         Earthling Bees
 >8(())))-     "Take me to your feeder"
       \\         Castle Rock, CO,  USA