VIDALIA, La. – Vern Crofford had been interested in bees for quite a while, but the 69-year-old Vidalia resident decided just four years ago to jump in with both feet. Or, you could say, both hands. Walking toward one of several boxes in his yard that contain bee hives, he holds out his arm until a few bees land on his hand.

&uot;I’ve only been stung twice,&uot; said Crofford, who does not wear any special clothing or equipment when caring for the bees.

The rest of the insects, oblivious to the attention of their caretaker, continue buzzing around their hives.

&uot;They’re usually inside working, but I guess they’re taking a break right now,&uot; Crofford said.

And that work pays off. Crofford said each one of the hives yields five to six gallons of honey.

The worker bees construct their own honeycombs inside the boxes, fill its cells with honey and cap the top of each cell with wax.

To extract the honey, Crofford cuts the caps off the honeycombs with a knife.

&uot;I use some and give the rest to friends,&uot; he said. &uot;I haven’t gotten around to selling it — yet.&uot;

Crofford estimates that about 100,000 bees call his property home.

To collect the bees, he located bees swarming around trees in the woods, cut off the branches and tapped them on the top of the boxes, knocking the bees into the boxes.

&uot;Of course, there are some places that will sell you the bees and the honey, … but I&160;went hunting for mine,&uot; Crofford said.

One such company, A.H. Meyer & Sons, is located near Vidalia, he said.

If not properly cared for, bees will send scouts out to find a more suitable home for the group, Crofford said.

&uot;Like if the box is too small, they’ll hang around for a day and then leave,&uot; he said. &uot;But treat mine well. I make sure they have enough space. And you’ve got to talk to them, and not mistreat them in any way.&uot;

Crofford, a widower, also said with a twinkle in his eye that he is in the market for &uot;a lady to help me care for these bees.&uot;