Robin Dartington wrote:

> There was a problem.  A solution was needed.  There were two sides - health
> of public v. health of bees.  So, a case for negotiation.   Start by
> recognising the causes/strength/rights on BOTH sides - the bees may have
> been bad tempered but they were provoked - the colony was located in an
> inappropriate place - but the behaviour of the children was out of line and
> symptomatic of ignorance of the benefit bees bring to food production and
> the environment.

I understand the colony was feral, not managed. So it was where it
should not have been. Removing feral colonies in buildings can be a
messy job, especially in an urban setting. Most beekeepers I know would
not handle that under those conditions just because of the potential of
stinging incidents and liability. Generally, they recommend a pest
control business which has the necessary coverage, and who usually
destroy the colony.

As far as "provoked", it would be nice to control human nature,
especially teen age boys (but then I would have lost all the "fun" of
those years, like the ability to be terminally stupid).

We still have animals like bears, coyotes, fishers (no relation to Jim
but as fierce), wolves (at the border), and cougars (spotted but not
confirmed) in our area. The old axiom, that animal rights organizations
thrive in direct relation to their distance from a farm, is true in
Maine. It was fine to protect the coyote until they showed up in urban
settings. Then they are "removed" and sent to the country (where I
live). I like the coyote around, since they do not belong to PETA and
have effectively removed my deer and woodchuck problem.

Bears are becoming a problem in urban areas. It will not be long before
they lose their good PR and become pests.

So it is nice to be in touch with nature, as long as nature is
controlled or well distant. Bees are nice to have around until they
sting. Good luck in changing that. Which is why just about every
beekeeper on this list destroys a bad queen and does not relocate her.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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