Just got my first call to remove honey bees this year.  The homeowner says that bees have been in the oak tree for 3 years.  I suggested co-existing with the bees but she said it was not an option because her [dark, hairy] dog has been stung a few times and has had to be taken to the vet...

We had a relatively mild winter here in south-eastern NY state (Long Island) and I believe a lot of feral/unmanaged colonies have survived just fine.

It's good to get called this early in the season - the population should be just about at its smallest [although my strongest hive has 10 frames of eggs & brood!] and there should not be a ton of honey...

Waldemar

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************