Getting to the hives isn't always easy. This one was buried under bricks and between the boards of a palet. They had been living there for three years, according to the homeowners. My assistant and I smoked them while pulling out the bricks. Then, we moved the whole palet to the walkway where we could get at them easier. Whatever bees we could find with the vacuum were gently sucked into the big white barrel. When we were finished, we had two large trays of honey comb and a hive in a barrel. My partner and I were happy to have these gentle bees.