Randy:
> I do not discount the effect of smoke on the diminution of the olfactory receptors to alarm pheromone

Yes, but the impact of smoke on the olfactory sensors is to disrupt the bees' awareness. We know they use semiochemicals to communicate and to interface with the environment. Ultimately it's the nervous system that is messed with here. 

Either the smoke causes a direct effect by simply inactivating the nervous system (acute intoxication) or it causes an indirect effect on behavior, where they are still "conscious" but don't react defensively. There are drugs used on humans that we could point to as having similar affects ranging from tranquilizers to anesthetics. 

The bees' consciousness and nervous system is no doubt much simpler than ours, but would be expected to be susceptible to chemical compounds in an analogous way. With humans, these chemicals are applied in an as needed fashion, dependent on context and observed response. 

Like, my wife just had her wrist operated on. They were going to do it with her awake. Her arm was numb but still moving a bit so they knocked her out. There are times when you smoke the bees very lightly and times when you have to smoke the sense out them.

PLB

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