Air freshener for uniting.

[tidymeup]

I attended Stockport bka not to long ago and the speaker mentioned about using air freshener for uniting colonies. Unfortunately I didn't get to ask him anymore derail about this but has anyone else used this method before?

If what do you use and how much? It sounds interesting. He used it as he was a bee farmer so I guess allot quicker. The speaker was Mr Pearson from Cheshire.

 

[Finman]

.
Normal smoke is good .

If you have same size of colonies, you need nothing. Just put them togeter.

Beekeeping is full of "sounds interesting" things and seldom they are good.

Some use wife's parfume.

Sometimes bees are in angry mode. Then I pour syrup into combs and let them suck full themselves.

 

[MrB]

I have heard lemon grass oil can be used, although when i united i just used a sheet of newspaper and it was a success.

 

[Leigh]

My instant response when reading about using air freshener was "WTF"? Sounds chemical, nasty and unnecessary. Icing sugar or spraying sugar solution works perfectly well. Personally, I'd stick with sugar methods and avoid air freshener. I have the same feelings about those gadgets for plugging into a wall socket that spray "nice-n-fresh" smells into your house every time you walk past....feels about as healthy as snorting shake-n-vac!

 

[MrB]

feels about as healthy as snorting shake-n-vac!

Hmm never tried that

 

[Rosti]

with MrB
News paper, couple of small rips in it to get things going and a single drop of lemon grass on it to initially over power the pheromones. I know the paper method is well established but why just hope when you can actively manage?

 

[BobH1]

a sheet of newspaper, plain, no additions, works for me

 

[Heather]

Please don't use sprays- Lord knows what is in them.
Have you ever walked into a small room when someone has used a spray- I for one cannot breathe properly. Consider your bees!! Keep as natural as pos.
I don't even use newspaper if it has coloured pics on in case there is damaging substance in the ink.

 

[Mike a]

a sheet of newspaper, plain, no additions, works for me

 

[Friar Tuck]

You can also use a few drops of essential peppermint oil mixed with water lightly sprayed on both .

This method also works for introducing a new queen.

So i'm told

 

[keithgrimes]

The fewer chemicals the better in my opinion. I've recombined using the newspaper method. No additives. Worked fine every time.

 

[Rosti]

Lets not confuse 'chemicals' with 'natural extracts' or 'essential oils' here .....

 

[BobH1]

Lets not confuse 'chemicals' with 'natural extracts' or 'essential oils' here .....

What's the difference, I don't see bees using thymol or lemongrass on their own. The origin of the substance has no bearing on the "un-naturalness" (or otherwise) of its use. They are all chemicals.

 

[keithgrimes]

But air fresheners, to refer to the original post, ARE chemicals.

 

[BobH1]

But air fresheners, to refer to the original post, ARE chemicals.

I agree, but there's also no need to use other chemicals like lemongrass oil either. Why use anything whether derived through simple manufacturing process (like pressing lemon grass) or more complicated manufacturing processes (like an aerosol) when they are not needed.

 

[Rosti]

I agree, but there's also no need to use other chemicals like lemongrass oil either.

what's the difference? well.....

If that is your view (and you are entitled to it of course) then you can look forward to less effective bait hives; emergency feeding in the middle of summer (like last august) with sugar syrup up top that the bees couldn't smell and so could not benefit from etc, etc.

Lemon grass is an essential oil just as are some of the attractants that flowers use to tell the bees they are there. It can be compared to an attractant and a masking agent but what it cant be compared to is an air freshener or a synthetic substance.

and then there's that other interesting choice you raise ... a thymol exposure 'episode' or an 'enduring' varroa exposure with associated probable ultimate colony death, your choice!

 

[greatbritishhoney]

I have always just used newspaper with perfect results everytime, so I agree that no other substances are needed. But, let's be clear - there's a big difference between an extract of a natural substance like lemon grass and an air freshener that contains all sorts of synthetic cr*p.

 

[MrB]

If that is your view (and you are entitled to it of course) then you can look forward to less effective bait hives; emergency feeding in the middle of summer (like last august) with sugar syrup up top that the bees couldn't smell and so could not benefit from etc, etc.

Lemon grass is an essential oil just as are some of the attractants that flowers use to tell the bees they are there. It can be compared to an attractant and a masking agent but what it cant be compared to is an air freshener or a synthetic substance.

and then there's that other interesting choice you raise ... a thymol exposure 'episode' or an 'enduring' varroa exposure with associated probable ultimate colony death, your choice!

 

[BobH1]

So do I! I did say "when they are not needed".

And I still maintain that the unnessary use of chemicals, however they are derived, is to be deplored.

Sucrose, glucose, essential oils, thymol, oxalic acid and so on are all chemicals that are being used in an artificial manner by beekeepers and as such should be used with discretion.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Don't go letting your bee's near flowers....they are full of chemicals.