On Tuesday morning, the 61-year-old professional beehive remover was on a mission to pluck a 40-pound hive from a grapefruit tree in Jeff and Debbie Coleman's back yard on Venetian Way just west of Tampa International Airport.

The Colemans discovered the hive Sunday while working in the yard. The bees kept to themselves, Jeff Coleman said, and he contemplated trying to knock the hive into the canal behind his house.

Coleman decided not to take any chances, which was a wise decision, said Mills, who has worked for his family business, Aa Aa Apian Sting Operation in Lakeland, for about 40 years. Mills said the Colemans' hive had been forming probably for at least three months and contained about 10,000 honeybees.

``They've done a good job,'' Mills said of the bees as he gazed at the hive.

The 4-foot hive was large for an outdoor one; they usually are spotted before they grow that big. But Mills said it didn't compare to some of the indoor hives he has removed, which can stay hidden behind walls for more than a year and grow to 300 pounds.

After circling the tree to inspect the hive with his 18-year- old grandson, Joseph, the pair donned white protective suits and hats with netting to cover their faces.

Joseph Mills threw a lighted paper towel into a canister and passed it to his grandfather, who climbed a ladder and blasted smoke at the bees that covered the hive. The bees quickly retreated inside, revealing its well-defined honeycombs.

As the smoke billowed, honey steadily dripped from the hive. Then some of the bees made a second appearance.

``They're swarming now!'' Raymond Mills exclaimed, as the Colemans and their neighbors who had gathered to watch the removal backed away from the tree.

After cutting down several tree branches, the elder Mills knocked the hive to the ground. He placed some of the scattered pieces in a box and tried to capture the bees in another box covered by a net. The bees gravitated to the box because it's dark like the inside of a hive, Raymond Mills said. The hive and the bees will be taken to a beekeeper.

With bees still swarming and landing on the netting covering his face, Raymond Mills stopped the cleanup effort to grab a kitchen knife. He scraped honey off the combs, dripped it into a bowl and passed it to the Colemans.

Jeff Coleman dipped his finger into the bowl and tasted the honey. He paused to savor the taste, then went back for seconds.

``Hey, put those bees back up there,'' Coleman called to Mills. ``This tastes pretty good!''

Reporter Julie Pace can be reached at (813) 865-1505.