Real life seems to make blanket statements about bees risky. All my
colonies but one are responding beautifully to the use of breath instead of
smoke, except that one colony, one of my gentlest, gets upset if they don't
get a puff of smoke to announce my ministrations. One puff for an
announcement and they're OK. All the others even let me shake bees off
frames and harvest without smoke. That's one colony in 18 that demands
smoke. Ten feet away is a colony that was so rowdy I almost requeened
them, until I stopped using smoke on them. Now they're totally gentle with
breath. That's 1 in 18 that detests smoke. I find insignificant
differences relating to breeding so far.
Bill Morong