> unless one wishes to test the effect - on oneself - of alarming the bees.

That's funny. Why write such a thing without actually doing it! Then we would know! Actually, many studies have been done on the honey bee alarm odours. Also, people have used banana as a remedy for chalkbrood and nobody mentioned that the banana bothered the bees. In any case, banana oil alone does not appear to have the same effect as the honey bee alarm pheromone complex.

Examples:

Bee-sting odour alarms honeybees. One of the components, banana oil or iso-amyl-acetate, has been isolated and succeeds in exciting bees. However, it fails to induce stinging, although a used bee-sting does. This suggests that not all the effective chemicals have been identified. 

Lewis, D. Brian, and D. Michael Gower. "What is Communication?." Biology of Communication. Springer US, 1980. 1-25.

* * *

Since honeybee workers are exposed to a mixture of sting volatiles, not to a single compound, caution should be exercised in drawing conclusions about the alarm-releasing activities of the individual volatiles. Evaluation of mixtures of these compounds, at concentrations similar to those in the extracts, will be required in any attempt to comprehend the significance of the rich blend of volatiles produced in the sting apparatus.

Blum, M. S., Fales, H. M., Tucker, K. W., & Collins, A. M. (1978). Chemistry of the sting apparatus of the worker honeybee. Journal of Apicultural Research, 17(4), 218-221.

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