> You make me fill like a sissy.  When I don't have a bee veil on, the girls
> like to sock it to my eyes and lips.  A problem I wish I had with my own
> kind.
 
I wouldn't have believed a few years ago how much of a bee's temperment
could be a matter of breeding. I am using the ARS-Y-C-1 Carniolan. They
are without a doubt the sweetest bees ever. They almost refuse to sting.
It's only if I'm really stupid, like catching one under my fingers, that I
get stung. They have remained calm even without smoke (I use little to
none), even in bad weather, and even when queenless.
 
Strangely, although I'd read that swarms don't usually sting, when I
tried retrieving one of my swarms, the ones that fell down on me, and not
into the box, stung me good.
 
Although I might appear to be a brave guy when I visit my own bees
without a veil, I'm sure I've become lulled into letting down my guard and
will someday be killed if I visit a neighbor's hives without smoke on a rainy
day.
 
 
Conrad Sigona
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