Today I must have smelled like a bear. Or maybe a skunk.

I was walking by my hives and I stopped to watch for a few minutes as I often do. I pulled out my new smartphone to shoot a short video of what I was seeing – one hive was as quiet as could be and the other was busier than I have ever seen it – so I thought I would document it. It was a beautiful afternoon and I was shirtless. I was perhaps 10 or 15 feet from the hives and shot the video without incident. As I was turning off the camera a lone bee decided I was a threat and I got stung on the face. Oh, right, no veil either today. I often sit quietly just a couple of feet from the hive entrance a little off to one side and watch or take pictures and I have never been harassed or stung before. But today was a different day. I got my first sting.