>
> I am coming to the view that lighting and using a smoker has a placebo
> calming effect on the beekeeper so (s)he no longer emits the anxiety
> pheromones that cause the bees to react stingily.
>

If honey bees acted defensively towards threatening entities only because
they could sense anxiety or fear, I wouldn't expect (wild) honey bees with
that trait to exist for any substantial period of time.

Perhaps lighting a smoker does have a placebo effect on the beekeeper which
causes them to stay more calm and collected.

Randy Oliver has a great talk on how to work hives with minimal disturbance
to the bees (and beekeeper).
"Tips on Working Bees"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcfqTx4_FAo

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