Very interesting day. I had been wanting to pull supers, get strips in and add deeps (to collect fall flow for spring feeding ) for over a week now. However, other things kept taking priority, the birth of my daughter being most notable. The post from Dave Green "Here Clyde, Help Me Tamp Down These Bees" helped convince me that my thoughts on adding the deeps would solve the problem of treating for mites without losing the fall flow plus shutting down the queens too early was of some merit. This added to my enthusiasm to get started plus the fact that I couldn't wait to see this years crop up close. So today was to be the day. Bad choice! Last night thunderstorms moved through the area and this morning was damp and overcast. as the day progressed it became warm with some sunshine. Thinking that the bees would be in as good of mood as I was the first mistake. After preparing all the needed equipment, I opened the 1st hive, this is normally a strong and sometimes aggressive hive as well as a good producer. Well today they weren't aggressive, they were HOT, I mean "Thermo-Nuclear Hot". I got the first sting before I even had the cover off, but I would not be denied. About 8-9 stings later I had the 1st hive closed up and started to move though the yard (5 more to go). To make a long story short all the hives were nearly as hot as the 1st. All told I received approx. 18-20 hard hits and a number of lesser ones before I started to feel faint and a bit shaky. I managed to get through 5 of the 6 hives before throwing in the towel, better late than never. I got in the house to a cool shower and 75 mg of Benadryl and waited out the swelling and the "hives" (makes you wonder how "hives" came to be called that doesn't it). I also suffered some blurred vision and nausea. All in all a pretty scary afternoon. So here it is now 8 hours later the worst of it is over, just some localized pain and swelling and I am reviewing the lessons of the day. 1. Never assume the bees share the same enthusiasm that you do. 2. Never work the bees, work with them. 3. When normally gentle bees are being aggressive, they must have a reason. 4. Don' t force the issue with them, do it another day rather than risk serious injury. Maybe had I let things settle down a bit before moving on from the 1st hive I would had been fine, but in the painful chaos I was thrown out of my normally calm and slow moving style and into a hurried frenzy. I post this for the many other hobbyist and part-times that follow BEE-L. When we don't keep bees for a living we tend to fit them into "our" schedule, not the "bees" schedule. This can be a painful and tragic mistake. Know your bees and take your cues from them. There will be times that it will not be convenient to work with your bees, but you must be moldable to their attitudes and timetables. Remember, its their house and you are an uninvited guest, bee polite! Beekeeping is truly a "Gentle Craft". Tim Damon Ann Arbor, MI