In fall and winter, after the bees return to their hives for good, Mr. Stiles turns his attention to more academic matters: beekeeping conferences, school programs and the like. If the mood strikes, he will entertain crowds by hanging a caged queen bee under his chin and letting hundreds of worker bees gather round. The result: a buzzing, wriggling "bee beard."

Mr. Stiles is forever defending the much-maligned honeybee, informing New Jersey residents that the insects that sting out of pure malice are different species altogether. Most people never even see honeybees, he says, but they are quick to blame them for the crimes of yellowjackets and wasps.

On the subject of stinging, Mr. Stiles will say only that those who get it must have asked for it. For someone who exposes himself to thousands of bees each day, he is exceptionally nonchalant, forgoing a protective suit and even a veil when he approaches a hive. His only defense is a small metal box that releases pine needle smoke into the hive, disguising the "alarm odor" bees emit when their turf is invaded.

"I work like this unless the bees are nasty," he said, dipping an arm into his bee box and gingerly lifting a frame full of honeycomb, worker bees and a queen. "You go in easy, tenderly, you're not going to get stung. Once you overcome the fear, you co-evolve with the bees."

A nice pitch, but not necessarily convincing, especially when it comes to the beekeepers' neighbors. Many are less than thrilled when a backyard colony becomes too crowded and the bees emerge in a football-sized swarm. This happens at least once a season, and the bees can swarm for hours while scouts search for a new home.

"It looks like they're going nuts," Mr. Stiles said. "But they're actually just communicating with each other. I'm being honest when I tell you that bees are interested in doing their own thing."

Shakespeare called honeybees "creatures that by a rule in nature teach the act of order to a peopled kingdom," and Mr. Stiles agrees wholeheartedly. When he is not working, he sells raw honey and beeswax candles, both products of his own colony. He can also be found in the yard, studying his bees as if they were a newfound civilization.