Every inspection is a small stress event for a colony. How fast a beekeeper moves, how hard the hive tool levers a propolis-glued frame apart, whether smoke has been applied first, and how defensive the colony already is because of weather and forage all combine to determine how agitated the bees become — and how likely a sting is.
Alarm pheromone released by a startled guard bee smells like ripe bananas — many experienced beekeepers avoid eating bananas before an inspection for exactly that reason.
An open hive cutaway where a gloved hand and hive tool pry a propolis-glued frame free while a colour-coded colony of instanced bees reacts in real time — calm gold when settled, angry red and airborne when startled.
Handling speed, hive-tool leverage, smoker use and ambient weather combine into a single live stress score that drives how many bees stay settled on the comb versus take flight defensively.
Set handling speed and pry force, toggle the smoker, choose a weather/forage condition, then click "Pry & lift frame" to run one inspection cycle and watch the stress meter and colony colour respond.
Smoke works by masking isopentyl acetate, the alarm pheromone guard bees release when startled — it doesn't calm bees directly, it just stops the alarm signal from spreading through the colony.