> I  became so engrossed with watching the skunk ( through the
> scope ) go from hive to hive looking for a free meal, he
> finally realized I was there AND CAME AT ME...
 
I don't know how many have watched a skunk work a beehive, but if you go
our around dusk, you can sit and watch.  I've never been attacked, since
the skunk gets totally engrossed in eating and get a fair bit of stinging
too.
 
> Best so far is that I¹ve had a couple of owls spend fall /
> winter above the hives, as Canada grows colder ;-) .Now
> there¹s natural control.
 
It's going to 'control' our bees too, if it doesn't let up :(
 
Minus 18 degrees Celcius here again this morning -- got down to minus 27
the other night.  UUUggghhh!  We have a foot and a half of snow and huge 6 
foot drifts -- bigger than we had all winter.
 
As I write this, it is St Pat's day (tap o' t' marnin t'y'all).  We
normally would expect to see the major runoff happening and the
remaining snow disappearing rapidly.  The prediction today is for
teperatures of only zero -- the melting point, and that won't do the job.  
Maybe we'll get a good Chinook (warm snow-eater wind) later in the week,
but we're off to another late start.
 
Speaking of birds and beehives, have any of you had the pleasure of havig
your handholds pecked out of a whole yard full of hives by a lost
woodpecker?
 
Allen