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>Unfortunately  that doesn't stop me feeling aprehensive
when I start and 'jumping' every time I feel a bee on  the  back  of  my
hand  (I didn't used to when I started).  The jump is my problem and I'm
working on it slowly -- must try harder.
 
    It's a head trip, isn't it?  When I got my first hive (to pollinate my
garden), I was terrified of the bees.  I'd find myself shaking and in a cold
sweat, every time I went into the hive. Curiosity kept me going that first
year, but just barely.
 
    During the winter, I thought it over and decided that I must get over the
fear, or get rid of the bees.  It wasn't worth it.
 
   I approached the commercial beekeeper, who sold me my first bees, and
asked if he needed some spring help. We arranged for me to take three weeks
and go with him during the intense spring rush.
 
   Little did I know, that he had a reputation for having the meanest bees in
the state.  -Kind of like the old navy method of teaching sailors to swim -
toss them overboard.
 
   He had another helper too, a long haired kid, who had a macho thing about
being stung.  It was a wild and crazy time.  (I kept asking him what he was
putting in the smoker; the smell was unfamiliar to me.)
 
   I will never forget the end of that time - loading 40 double story hives
onto a one ton truck by hand with this kid. The bees were hanging up the
front; it was a sultry, steamy night.  It was about 10 pm, but we had no
choice; the bees were due in an apple orchard, which was already blooming.
 
   About two thirds of the way through, a thunderstorm broke, and we were
drenched.  You know, when the clothes stick to your body, you might as well
not be wearing any, as far as bee stings are concerned.
 
   The kid put out some shrieks and howls that would surely have brought some
police, or something, even in the wilds of the bee yard, had not the thunder b
een crashing louder than him.
 
    That was the final exam on my crash course.  I have never had the shakey,
sweaty, creepy-crawley fear since.
 
    I've since watched many other beginning beekeepers step over the line,
usually with a lot less trauma.  But there is definitely some sort of barrier
that must be crossed, before one can relax and enjoy the work.
 
   The newest guy on a crew is almost always the one with the most stings.
 Some say a dog can sense if you are afraid of him, and he is more likely to
bite.  Perhaps that is true also of bees.
 
   I don't know of any other way to cross the barrier, than more exposure to
the bees.  I had to push myself, test myself.  I could have wound up doing
something else, but I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it near as much.  It WAS
worth the effort.
 
   BTW - I won't put up with bees such as my mentor had.  And he doesn't
anymore either.  We have both learned the merits of requeening nasty bees.
 
   Enjoy!
 
[log in to unmask]         Dave Green
PO Box 1215, Hemingway,   SC  29554