system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is smoke used in beekeeping? Does it really calm the bees and if so, how?
gpt
It's less "it calms the bees" and more "it prevents the bees from getting really defensive".  
When a bee thinks the hive is under attack it releases something called an "alarm pheromone", which is a chemical with a specific smell that lets other bees know something is wrong. The pheromone is very good at getting the bees angry and looking for trouble. The smoke masks the alarm pheromones which prevents the hive from getting angry. It can also cause the bees to think the hive is going to burn, which causes a "We have to save the honey" reaction to distract them from the "attack the guy going after the hive" reaction.