>
>In response to some earlier postings, I was using binoculars to observe my
>hive, too, when I discovered I could get right next to the hive (to the
>side, 3 ft. away) without bothering the bees at all.  I could sit for hours
>fascinated by what goes on at the hive door (my wife thinks I'm even
>stranger now than when I used to sit and watch the weather channel or sit
>and watch my garden grow).  My two kids are also fascinated by the whole
>thing.
>
 
My daughter and I would do the same w/ a hive of unpedigreed bees (Italians,
mainly) in San Antonio a few years ago.  I'd be real careful of that now in
that part of the US (AHB and all).  The hardest thing to teach her was that
you can't pet bees quite the same way we did our dog.  I'm getting back into
beekeeping now (whenever Blue Ridge gets around to shipping) and look
forward to enjoying their company.
 
Logan