At 09:26 AM 9/26/02 -0600, Matthew Westal wrote:
>& Peter - Stung while working his garden?  Across a row of trees?  Have
>you asked if he still received stings AFTER you moved the bees or if he
>had a one to show you?  I would bet the gardener mistook yellow-jackets
>for bees. Not many look to see what stung them if there's a beekeeper
>nearby to point the finger to.

Really, Mat.
Do you think I would have moved 16 hives in the middle of summer without
considering ALL the options? This guy is a retired farmer, he knows the
difference between a yellow jacket and a honey bee. Anyway, I sat with him
on his porch and watched bees come over the trees and the road and buzz his
yard. I think skunks were probably a major factor here. If skunks are
working hives they are pretty much ticked off all the time. Also, bees seem
to be more edgy in shady woodsy spots.The apiary in question was not
established by me and I had a feeling we would have trouble there: too
close to the guy's house.

Normally, when I establish a yard I look around and I am pleased if I can't
see a single dwelling. That means nobody can see me. Then, if the bees get
angry for whatever reason, there isn't anybody for them to take it out on,
and the neighbors won't know who to blame, anyway. In San Diego County,
they had a 600 feet ordinance, which precluded keeping bees in most
residential neighborhoods. My favorite yard is way back in the corner of a
pasture, a half mile from the nearest house.

I have another apiary in a public garden. People walk by the bees all the
time. There is a tall circular hedge of yew trees forcing the bees to fly
upward, but nothing to prevent them from stinging someone walking by the
narrow entrance between the trees. Honestly, I always worry about this bee
yard. I don't *want* people to get stung. I try not to annoy the bees when
I am there, but you know, sometimes they get ticked. (I am not St. Francis)

pb