Keeler, Lisa wrote:
My bees tend to be annoyed when I open the hive and as soon as I start prying
out a frame they are all over the frames and it is impossible to grab anything
without getting a bee and getting stung.  Is it just smoke (which I don't use)?

Yes, Lisa, you need to use smoke.  As everyone else says, you don't need much,
but the correct way to work bees is to give a puff at the entrance, wait a
minute or more, and give another puff when you first start prying off the inner
cover.  That should be all you need.  Then you can gently move the bees aside
after the frame is loosened, and pick it up usually without getting stung.
They may fly up and bounce off your wrist, may even land, but then seem to
forget what they had in mind to do.

Ted Fischer
Dexter, Michigan USA