As a student working toward my master’s degree in entomology, I am angry that people "keep" bees at all. ("In triple-digit heat, firefighters in one California city had to battle flames — and bees," Sept. 9)

Smoke from smokers, like the one believed to have ignited the fire in Modesto — killing countless bees and other insects — disorients bees and masks alarm pheromones, making it easier for beekeepers to steal their honey.

Bees do not make honey for human consumption. They make and store it so they'll have something to eat when there aren't many flowers in bloom. It's the equivalent of canning fresh vegetables from your garden to eat over the winter and having an intruder steal most of what you worked so hard to make for your family.

Bees deserve better.

Melissa Rae Sanger, Norfolk, Va.