The much-less scary remnants of hurricane Ivan wandered through central and western Virginia today, but I am happy to report that we saw this one coming, and all hives in the 15-hive yard that took a "direct hit" from a small tornado survived without a scratch. A small few trees were uprooted, but not even a single outer cover was blown off. Given that it was cloudy and rainy all day, we may have not lost even a single bee. The secret ingredients were ratchet straps on the tallest hives and ropes on the shorter hives running between stakes on either side of each hive. The punch line is that the Weather Channel, after upgrading the Tornado Watches to Tornado Warnings, and the Flood Watches to Flood Warnings this afternoon, played the 1960s tune "Cast Your Fate To The Winds" as the background music for their every-10 minute local weather report. ...somebody at the Weather Channel has a VERY twisted sense of humor. jim :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::