I forget when we found the first swarm of bees, maybe two weeks ago? Anyway, it was a s

   I forget when we found the first swarm of bees, maybe two weeks ago? Anyway, it was a small swarm and a beekeeper came over and scooped them into a hive. Then, yesterday evening, we found another much larger swarm. They were huddled in a tree near the road. A second beekeeper (brother-in-law of the first) came over right at dusk. He placed the hive under the mass of bees and then gently shook the tree. They plopped into the box, and those who were left out filed neatly and quickly inside after their queen.

   At this point, who knows how many bees are still in the wall of the house. And there were three queens? Or maybe the workers made themselves a new queen very quickly after their first swarm got disrupted by cold weather. If we are REALLY lucky, maybe this is all of them, and the wall of the house is beeless, now.

   Anyhoo, I very, very much wanted to walk over and gently put my hand in among the bees. I didn’t, but I wanted to.