I need some help here since I have seen experienced beekeepers blow
lightly on a frame to move bees with no problems. A light puff opened up
an area on the frame so capped cells could be seen. It also was used to
move some bees from around a queen. It is a nice technique when you are
holding a frame with both hands.

In each case the only thing that happened was the bees moved. But I have
been told that breath is an aggression trigger.

We smoke bees so we can work colonies and smoke is CO2, just like our
breath. Shouldn't that trigger aggression? It does the opposite.

So is breath really a trigger for aggressive behavior or a target when
aggressive behavior is triggered by something else? My eyes (and
experience say the latter, especially since that seems to be the case
with other things like watchbands, wool, dark colors and the like. I
have worked bees with my black digital watch on and with dark colors (a
black knee brace while wearing shorts) with no problems until they got
riled up. So is it the same with breath?

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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