05-08-06: Georgia Berner and her husband, Jim Farber, were planning to remodel a part of their old Zelienople barn. They were going to transform one wing into a family room, ideal for entertaining friends as well as viewing the valley that sprawls in the distance.

But there was one problem.

Actually, there were thousands of buzzing little problems.

Several colonies of wild honeybees had settled into a wall in the exact area Ms. Berner planned to renovate. They had been colonizing for nearly 12 years.

Over the years, Ms. Berner said, she and the bees had lived in harmony. She had gotten used to them and they seemed all right with her.

Ms. Berner, who is a Democratic congressional candidate in the state's 4th District, didn't want anything to happen to the bees, so she phoned Kevin Lutz, a beekeeper who lives just up the road, and asked for his help.