>
> >In most instances we smoke the bees. Week after week of not using smoke
> seems to make the bees aggressive. Been there and done that.
>
> Also few hobby beekeepers have seen the kinds of bee aggression commercial
> beeks at times see.


I'm with Bob on this!  I often go without gloves or veil, but always use
smoke--the minimum necessary.  During a flow (with Europeans--surprising
about the Africans, Bob!) virtually no smoke is needed.  However, when we
need to work bees during cold weather, dark, rain, or snow, you'd better
give them a taste of smoke before you touch the boxes!  I breed for gentle
bees, but even the gentlest will defend the colony under some circumstances.

Also, if you don't smoke, and the bees emit alarm pheromone, the scent makes
the bees more defensive next visit.

A hobby beekeeper can get away with a lot more.  When I give demos, I can
generally make the hottest colony look like pussycats simply by moving more
slowly, and being extra gentle.  But slowness also means that the hive is
open longer, and that is more disruption to the bees.

As Bob has previously pointed out, commercial beeks are in and out of a
colony in the blink of an eye, with minimal disruption.  A touch of smoke is
all that is generally necessary to change the behavior of the guard bees--I
just smoke enough that no bees are looking at you from between the frames.
No need to smoke the rest.  Most hobbyists apply far more smoke than
necessary, which is very disruptive to the colony.

Randy Oliver

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