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 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::