Mabel lived in town and kept bees in the backyard. It was legal to keep bees inside the city limits, but she kept them hidden. She felt she could not tell anyone about the bees after a neighbor threatened a lawsuit if she didn’t get rid of her bees. That mean neighbor finally moved away, and a new neighbor moved in, but Mabel decided to never tell him about her hives.
For years, Mabel kept the hives secret. If the neighbor noticed bees flying around, Mabel pretended they were flies. When the neighbor talked about ecology and environment and the importance of encouraging pollinators, Mabel refrained from mentioning her bees. It was easiest for her to just avoid visiting with the new neighbor.
Finally, the neighbor was moving out. He apologized to Mabel that they had never become good friends, and wondered if Mabel was afraid of the bees that he had been hiding in his back yard.