It is of interest to me that with ‘technique’, our bees can be worked with
minimal risk of inciting a stinging frenzy, and that we humans have also
learned conditions under which we can expect more stings and prepare
accordingly (a cool rainy day, a towering stack of a colony, a dearth,
etc.) or just not work the bees electively (if we can). And that there are
situations
in which stinging risk is minimal (e.g. a swarm emerging) despite
Hollywood-level excitement that will freak out anyone who is 'scared of
bees'.

I wonder if any of the beekeepers of yore emphasized ‘technique’, or
whether the lack of equipment (smoker, veil, beeproof garb, and hives that
permitted inspections without destruction) prevented ‘technique’ from being
developed.

It is certainly the case that there were important observations made
(though not always correctly interpreted) going all the way back to
Aristotle that would have been facilitated by ‘technique’.

Is there any mention of ‘immunity’ as we are discussing in early writings
about beekeeping? If ancient times’ beekeepers  got stung often enough to
develop a ‘so what’ attitude, that might have been recorded somewhere as
being very different than an apprentice or a visitor, and having developed
that nonchalance certainly would have helped with making observations (and
keeping bees).

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