The nucs were ready and in the sealed nuc boxes when I arrived. The bees were quiet. I heard no humming like when I inspected the colony in the hands-on class two weeks before. I saw bees huddled around the vents, pushing against each other, spindly legs stretching through the slits. They looked out longingly, I thought. Likely, their small, stripped bodies were shivering with excitement at the possibility of escaping and stinging me.