Good Day Garth,
I'm new to e-mail, but have kept Euro (Italian and or Carniolans), bees
in 6 to 16 hives.  We are called hobby beekeepers.  I am 66 years old.  I
have been the Secretary to our state Bee Keeping Association for 3 years
and Treasurer to local association for 6 years.  Began keeping Euro bees
in 1983.  My home is in North America, lower south eastern United States
of America in the state of Georgia, some where the middle of the state.
The reason I have written to you the above is, I have an eager desire to
know: many many things about South Africa, other than than the foolish
things I learned watching 1930's & 1940's Tarzan, (Tarzan of the Apes, by
A. Conan Doyle) films at the local cinema.  From what I have read on the
Bee-List these last 3 weeks, you seem to be willing to express an opinion
or talk.  I will confin comments to beekeeping. [1] What type of hive do
you use?  We use the Langstroth hive.  I read about the "Half barrel
hive" said to be used in Africa.  The periodicals read are the 'American
Bee Journal' or 'Gleanings in Bee Culture'.  At my age, I've learned;
believe nothing you hear, half of what you see and one tenth of what you
read.  And then I look at it from the 4 directions.  [2] Human sweat,
beer on the breath, some perfumes, old stings in clothing, and fuzzy dark
(animal like) watch bands or socks or dog odor and some animal odors will
make a hive go ballistic.  I have attended to hive in pastures of horses
and cows and in the heavy wooded areas with a lot of wild deer, with
little or no problem. Often a cow will turn over a hive, scratching her
hide, I suppose.  Bears are a big problem in the mountains north of me.
12 years ago a bear laid waste to my bee yard in the South Carolina.
Skunks are attacked on sight.  Bees attacking a bird is a new thing to
me.  We have birds that eat bees, but not on a constance daily basis.
How large is this bird, the ? .  Sorry, I've lost your earlier e-mail and
don't know the name of the bird.  [3]  Bees attacking a particular race
of humans?  Not in my experience, be they of Euro, African, Spanish,
Native North Americans or Native Indians of Mexico.  The Italians and
Carniolans sting us all with a particular fury at times, and not at all
when the weather is hot, bright sun and the bees are foraging.  [4] Did I
mis read? You work AHB without a veil.  Stings on the legs, arms or upper
body, I don't mind, I keep the away from my face -- :-) 99 percent of the
time. [5] In the states, we aren't allowed to keep the AHB.  To do so
would remove a large amount of American dollars from the pocket.
Therefor we are unable to compare AHB cells against our Italian cells.
 Best regards. Jonsea