The bee, in general, is neither ill-disposed nor aggressive, but appears
somewhat capricious. She has an unconquerable antipathy to certain
people; she also has days of enervation--for instance, when a storm is
at hand--on which she shows herself extremely irritable. She has a most
subtle and susceptible sense of smell; she tolerates no perfume and
detests, above all, the scent of human sweat and of alcohol. She is not
to be tamed, in the proper sense of the word; but, whereas the hives
which we seldom visit become crabbed and distrustful, those which we
surround with our daily cares soon grow accustomed to the discreet and
prudent presence of man. Lastly, to enable us to handle the bees almost
without impunity, there exist a certain number of little expedients
which vary according to circumstances and which can be learnt by
practice alone. But it is time to reveal the great secret of their
wrath.