The thought of tending to thousands of bees as a way to relieve stress might sound like an oxymoron to some, but to the Islands two leading beekeepers it makes perfect sense.

Lewell Woolridge and Randolph Furbert have been beekeepers for over 25 years. Mr. Woolridge stumbled across it when a former landlord grew to old to tend to his bee hives and asked for help.

Mr. Furbert?s father tended to bees, though he was not interested when growing up he gravitated towards it when his work load became stressful later in life. They now have more than 100 hives each.

Both men agree that the buzzing of bees melts away the stress of a hard days work, they also revel in the knowledge that they are helping the environment one hive at a time.

They explained that bees are vital to the Island?s environment because they pollinate trees and flowers. A common misconception is that the sole purpose for bees is their honey.

?Bees are vital to pollination, with out the bee that?s the end of you and me,? Mr. Woolridge said. ?The bee pollinates a lot of the food we eat. The bee also pollinates a number of trees, the trees produce breathable oxygen. If you wipe out bees the trees will be next.?

Both men describe their pastime as relaxing and have family members involved in their hobby, which adds to their enjoyment. As two of the largest bee keepers on the Island their hobby has a turned into a profitable business.

?Bees make honey for themselves but they make much more than they need,? Mr. Furbert said. ?That?s why we ?rob? them of it, but we always leave enough for them because a bee without honey dies within a day.?

Not only do local bees produce vast quantities of honey ? Mr. Woolridge?s produced 600 gallons of honey last year ? they also produce a distinctive type of honey. ?The blend of honey produced is particular to Bermuda, visitors love it because it doesn?t taste like the honey they are used to,? Mr. Furbert said.

He explained that unlike honey which is produced abroad the Bermuda blend is made up of many nectars because local bees visit a variety of plants to collect nectar. In particular local bees are big fans of the Mexican Pepper and the Fiddlewood.

?To most people those trees are a pain, but to the beekeeper they are vital,? Mr. Woolridge said. Both men sell their honey in supermarkets and stores targeting tourists. The busiest time of year for the men is between March and September when bees are swarming because they ?pack their hive? Mr. Woolridge explained.

During this time of year the men are also called out to help locals deal with unwanted bee hives. They extract hives from trees and roofs for people who do not want the constant buzzing and fear bees.

Often pest control companies call them as well because they would prefer to save the hives than unnecessarily destroy them. Both men have seen some interesting spots that bees have chosen to make their hives.

Mr. Woolridge once took a six inch by six inch hive out of one woman?s bathroom ceiling while Mr. Furbert has removed a hive from the top of one woman?s roof.

?The reason bees are moving into people?s houses is we are cutting down their trees,? Mr. Woodridge said. ?They have no choice but to set up home in someone else?s house.?

They urged the public to call them if they have an unwanted hive nearby instead of destroying it. Both men are in the yellow pages under ?beekeepers?.

They also cleared up a common misconception, bees are not out to hurt people they only sting when threatened. They are also able to sense fear. Bermuda currently has more bees than beekeepers and both men urge people to take up the pastime, which they describe as ?calming?.

?Everyone can do it,? Mr. Furbert said. ?We have doctors, lawyers, construction workers and nurses doing it on the Island right now. It reduces a lot of the stress that is built up at work and there really is nothing better than honey from your backyard.?