To avoid being stung it is often helpful to understand how and why honeybees become defensive. Honeybees do not have emotions the way humans do. So it is not correct to think of a honeybee as being angry. Honeybees that appear aggressive are actually being defensive or protective of their home or themselves. Remember that when a honeybee stings it dies. Honeybees do not want to commit suicide therefore they do not want to sting. When a honeybee stings it is effectively sacrificing itself for the protection of the hive and in that respect it is a noble cause. Honeybees are not intellectual creatures so they often misinterpret the actions of humans as well as other creatures and become defensive when it is not necessary but the purpose is always defense. When you think about all the creatures that would like to eat the contents of a beehive it begins to make sense why honeybees are so defensive of their home. A beehive offers a lot of very tasty calories and protein that would sustain many animals for weeks.
Things like sudden shocks and vibrations will all be interpreted as a threat to a hive. Remember honeybees are not intellectual and will not distinguish between a bear getting ready to eat everything in the hive or a beekeeper that is there to help. To the honeybees they are the same.
When a hive is first opened there is usually a pop or cracking sound as the lid is removed and a second pop when the inner cover is removed. This sound comes from the propolis that has been used by the bees to seal the lid in place. This pop will momentarily alarm nearly all the bees just underneath the lid and many of the bees throughout the hive. You will be able to hear the hum of the honeybees wings increase in volume and pitch as the lid is removed and then fade back to normal over the next few seconds. Immediately after the lid is removed you will see honeybees with their stingers raised in the air. Sometimes you will be able to see a small amount of venom on the stingers. Usually they will slowly lower them and go about their business as if nothing happened. Alarming the bees once or twice is not really a problem however if it happens over and over again eventually they will get defensive.
The venom that comes from their stingers contains a pheromone. This pheromone gets fanned around the hive and alerts other bees to a possible threat. If you were a honeybee and you had a very effective means to defend the hive but using it meant certain death you would probably only use this defense in the direst of circumstances. So a couple of vibrations or loud sounds would probably not be enough to convince you to sacrifice your life. However if the bees around you were being crushed or injured then suddenly sacrificing yourself for the good of the hive would become an option.
Honeybees are easily alerted by dark colors and your breath. Brushing your teeth will not help. Its not the way your breath smells that alerts the honeybees its the carbon dioxide in your breath. When honeybees detect carbon dioxide they know that an animal is close and that the hive may be in danger.
