Great picture....are those bare feet on the one on the left? I would not mind having hives but I know the clothes you have to wear would be too warm for me....
If you pick a sunny, warm, not very windy day, the bees are too busy gathering nectar or pollen to bother with a person. We wear veils because bees will go for moisture, much as a wasp will. Sherry, there are bee suits that are ventilated. They are made of two layers of fabric that allow air flow, and aren't hot at all (even here in Texas!). We have one to use if we have to work the bees under less than ideal circumstances.
I see there are some bee keepers in this thread and I haven't heard much about the bee decline. Is there any improvement in there population or is it still declining?
Jbest, there is no decline around here that I have heard of, but of course our bees forage for three miles and everyone says, "We saw some of your bees yesterday." People in town are reporting a complete lack of insects--bees, butterflies, even mosquitoes and grasshoppers. The town doesn't spray, so no one can figure out what is going on. My husband is on a beekeeping forum (they discuss bottom boards and varroa mites to excess, in my opinion!) but they aren't reporting trouble with their bees.
