burning the bees

Wish I could you post the pictures for this -- we've had a huge beehive
gradually growing for the past few months. This week we had people
running in terror as the bees unleashed their vengeance on the local
community outside the hospital. This, coupled with the advent of spikes
next to the wall in front of the hospital (current tires destroyed
count: 3) made it an unpleasant place to be. Perhaps to offset the
negative vibes from the spikes, we hired people from the forestry
service to burn out the bees. A first attempt with a 10 foot ladder was
unsuccessful; armed with a 50 foot ladder, a bamboo pole with
gasoline-soaked rags, and a lighter, the second attempt yielded a fiery
rain of bees, honey, and bark from about 100 feet up one of the local
trees. Unfortunately, it didn't yield the queen, so the bee renaissance
has begun, and a third attempt has been scheduled sometime in the weeks
to come.