Hi all:

For a detailed overview and plans for observation hives, get a copy of
Dewey Caron's book.

As per an open hive at a fair, the comment about being blamed for
wasp/yellow jacket/hornet stings is absolutely correct.

Also, never set up an open observation hive in a public area when the
public is present.  For the first hours, and even the first days, the bees
will be orienting.  That means they will explore nooks and crannies, drop
down near the ground, etc.  I made that mistake years ago and spent a full
day playing traffic cop, keeping bees and people separated until the bees
came home for the night and I could move the hive.  I opened the hive
through a 2nd story window, facing out over a sidewalk.  The hive went in
Saturday.  Had rain till Monday.  About noon on Monday, chaos prevailed.
Bees came roaring out of the hive with the sun, dropped down to about 5 ft
above the sidewalk, and streaked outward, following the sidewalk between a
building and a tennis court.  People literally hit the dirt (or concrete)
in this case.

Now I'm careful to open a new hive on a Friday night just before a weekend
with the expectation of good weather.  By Monday when everyone shows back
up on the campus, the bees have sorted it all out.

I fly a hive from my office window on the first floor, and have for years.
People eat picnic lunches on the grass under the hive.

Jerry