A decent field test for defensiveness requires only a clock that displays
seconds, so any cellphone will do.

This is the phenomena of the "Kamakaz-Bee", one of my favorite obscure
factoids, as people are certain I am joking, until they see it for
themselves, and then they become the doubted evangelist themselves.  (It is
a lot like "Clams have legs!" from the comic "BC")

If the beekeeper leaves his veil lying on his back, he will notice that the
bees will give the beekeeper fair warning if he takes too long in his
inspection, or otherwise fails to work the hive with style and panache.

A single bee will accelerate to maximum velocity, and head-butt the
beekeeper, right in the forehead. Not sting, but fly into his forehead,
right between the eyes, at high speed. If the beekeeper has a good ear, he
can hear the higher pitched note (G-sharp: 207Hz and above) over the
generally calmer buzzing of bees at less than maximum velocity (G-natural or
F-sharp: 196Hz and below).  If the beekeeper hears the Kamakaz-Bee, and has
time to react, he can cup his hands, and clap around the bee as it
approaches to stun that bee, which drops to the ground to regain its senses.
(This takes some skill, and the skill may be primarily hearing/sense of
pitch, as there is a bit of Doppler effect that helps to locate the bee in
space, so even ninja-like reflexes may not be enough to avoid killing the
bee and getting a sting on your hand.)

The time between the warning of the first Kamakaz-Bee and the appearance of
the next can be compared between hives to gauge relative defensiveness,
presuming that the beekeeper has not been a bull in a china shop with the
hive.  A typical hive will take several minutes minimum to send out another.

The Kamakaz-Bee is a clear threat - "The next bee will sting."  I've yet to
see it documented anywhere, but whenever I mention it, people will email me
later, and confirm that they also notice the phenomena.  If one is good at
stunning the Kamakaz-Bee, so that no alarm pheromone is produced, one can
get yet another warning, but I've never seen more than 3 Kamakaz-Bees sortie
out before the 4th attempts to sting.

It is a good reason to both not wear a veil until the bees have become
annoyed, and to listen to the bees when working them.
Both make working hives much more enjoyable, even if one is stung more often
than if constantly in full protective gear.

As life is far too short to spend any of it working with overly-defensive
bees, hives that are too quick to put out too many warnings get promptly
requeened, which allows me to continue wearing a veil on my back, rather
than over my head.  

An utterly gratuitous plug for BJ Sherriff S21 "Bee Farmer" veils is in
order, as they lay flat, stay out of the way until needed, have minimal
weight, and last for decades of 6 to 7 day-a-week use.  I still use the
first one I bought.  I bought a second, but I only wear it when my wife
insists on washing the sweat stains out of the primary veil.  (Wear a
baseball cap, or sew in an opaque insert at the peak to keep the sun off
your forehead and nose.)

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