Bonfires

[BeeJuice]

Sorry, me again.... New bee keeper with lots of questions. I have checked and this topic doesn't seem to have been covered before...

I had a bonfire today after checking the wind was blowing the smoke away from the hives.

The wind then changed direction and went towards the hives.

Would the bees have thought the house was on fire and acted the same as if I had turned up with a smoker and stuffed themselves with honey?

Is it best to avoid this or is it no big deal for the bees - is a bonfire different to smoking a hive.?

Intersested to know thoughts on this.

Thanks

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Don't worry too much about it - as long as the hives weren't enveloped with great gouts of smoke it will be alright. I have a clown who lives a few doors up who is forever lighting big fires with all kinds of crepe in it with no regards to the direction of smoke and the bees, safely tucked up in their hives don't seem bothered. I also have another anti-social eejit who lives in the bungalows below us who hasn't quite got the concept that, although his smoke rises above his roof it ends up engulfing all the houses above.
Had a bonfire in the home apiary last night - I find it safer to light a small fire near to the pile of wood etc you're going to burn so you can just add handfulls to it and you don't get a big uncontrollable fire. You can also stop feeding it if conditions change.

 

[BeeJuice]

Don't worry too much about it - as long as the hives weren't enveloped with great gouts of smoke it will be alright. I have a clown who lives a few doors up who is forever lighting big fires with all kinds of crepe in it with no regards to the direction of smoke and the bees, safely tucked up in their hives don't seem bothered. I also have another anti-social eejit who lives in the bungalows below us who hasn't quite got the concept that, although his smoke rises above his roof it ends up engulfing all the houses above.
Had a bonfire in the home apiary last night - I find it safer to light a small fire near to the pile of wood etc you're going to burn so you can just add handfulls to it and you don't get a big uncontrollable fire. You can also stop feeding it if conditions change.

Thanks, that's what I was hoping. I was imagining the bees had a meeting and deciding to move somewhere else.

Most of the threads on the site come down to three things : bees buggering off, starving or being eaten by mites.

I'm relieved that I have not triggered the first of the three

 

[Millet]

I had the same problem as Jenky from a divy townie who moved to the country, he is forever burning wet horse **** and saw dust during the day and at times it used to smother the cottage and hive to a point where the windows had to be shut even on a nice day, after a word or two he has stopped now but regardless of that it did not bother the bees one bit.

 

[BeeJuice]

A mate of mine got warned by the council for having too many bonfires.

In the autumn I burn leaves. This time of the year there's normally nothing to burn- but the mother in law has just arrived. She's a keen gardener and has been finding all sorts of debris to burn.

I'm glad the bees are tolerant to this one

 

[Swarm]

Consideration of others, only light fires in the evening.

 

[Millet]

Consideration of others, only light fires in the evening.

And when the wind is blowing the right way, especially if you have a few old tyres to stick on.. lol

 

[REDWOOD]

Better still recycle and do everyone a favour

 

[REDWOOD]

And when the wind is blowing the right way, especially if you have a few old tyres to stick on.. lol

Do you know how cancerous burnt rubber is, get the stuff on your hands and it gets absorbed into your fingers and travels up your arms, amputation is the only cure. First discovered with scrap yard workers. Do everyone a favour and recycle

 

[BeeJuice]

Better still recycle and do everyone a favour

Ah come on. ... Like I said. I burn leaves in the autumn and the mother in law has recently arrived and found some garden detritus for me to burn.

A good garden bonfire is recycling. The CO2 is released whether it is burnt or decomposes. No difference. Fact.

 

[REDWOOD]

Ah come on. ... Like I said. I burn leaves in the autumn and the mother in law has recently arrived and found some garden detritus for me to burn.

A good garden bonfire is recycling. The CO2 is released whether it is burnt or decomposes. No difference. Fact.

I'm just saying what I do and I have my reasons, I know burning is important for some plant life but my council will collect all my garden waste and turn it into compost that is free, you can do what you like I'm sure you have your reasons.

 

[Millet]

Do you know how cancerous burnt rubber is, get the stuff on your hands and it gets absorbed into your fingers and travels up your arms, amputation is the only cure. First discovered with scrap yard workers. Do everyone a favour and recycle

I was messing about, For the love of god my child, but then again i have burnt many things plastic included, and you have got to admit it warms the place up pretty quick.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Better still recycle and do everyone a favour

Most things do get recycled here - getting rid of twigs and prunings from the apple trees and hedges via the council is not an option here so it gets burnt - the soil in the apiary needs that conditioning.

 

[REDWOOD]

I was messing about, For the love of god my child, but then again i have burnt many things plastic included, and you have got to admit it warms the place up pretty quick.

I know what you mean, there's been a lot of bonfires in Wales to warm a home lol

 

[BeeJuice]

Most things do get recycled here - getting rid of twigs and prunings from the apple trees and hedges via the council is not an option here so it gets burnt - the soil in the apiary needs that conditioning.

True. Ash is also very good for Apple trees. Why give that away?

 

[Cazza]

Better still recycle and do everyone a favour

Not so easy with a two acre garden. I have a compost heap the size of a lorry container, save branches to cut up for the wood burner and still have to have large bonfires twice a year. I need an industrial chipper to cope with the clippings and more time than I have to chip.

Recycling is fine if your garden is small.
Cazza

 

[pargyle]

Ah come on. ... Like I said. I burn leaves in the autumn and the mother in law has recently arrived and found some garden detritus for me to burn.

A good garden bonfire is recycling. The CO2 is released whether it is burnt or decomposes. No difference. Fact.

Leaves are the last thing you should burn .. leafmould is the very best compost you can get hold of. Make an open top cube with four corner posts and chicken wire - put the leaves in there, leave for two years (or quicker if you add a bit of Garotta) and you have wonderful loamy, light compost which you can use in pots or just put back into the soil. Burning the leaves destroys all the goodness in them ... terrible waste.

 

[Swarm]

Leaves are the last thing you should burn .. leafmould is the very best compost you can get hold of. Make an open top cube with four corner posts and chicken wire - put the leaves in there, leave for two years (or quicker if you add a bit of Garotta) and you have wonderful loamy, light compost which you can use in pots or just put back into the soil. Burning the leaves destroys all the goodness in them ... terrible waste.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Leaves are the last thing you should burn .. leafmould is the very best compost you can get hold of. Make an open top cube with four corner posts and chicken wire - put the leaves in there, leave for two years (or quicker if you add a bit of Garotta) and you have wonderful loamy, light compost which you can use in pots or just put back into the soil. Burning the leaves destroys all the goodness in them ... terrible waste.

Don't even bother with all that mullarkey - whatever falls on the vegetable garden stays there - anything left on the path gets cleared up midwinter and also ends up on the veg patch. anything left on the lawn............................
Only thing I burn are the big bits of prunings and anything thicker than my thumb that's lying around.

 

[For want of a better word]

Leaves are the last thing you should burn .. leafmould is the very best compost you can get hold of. Make an open top cube with four corner posts and chicken wire - put the leaves in there, leave for two years (or quicker if you add a bit of Garotta) and you have wonderful loamy, light compost which you can use in pots or just put back into the soil. Burning the leaves destroys all the goodness in them ... terrible waste.

We put all our garden waste and Autumnal fall of leaves in with the chickens and clean them out in the Spring to mulch the veg plot etc
Our local tree surgeon also drops me off the odd load of chippings, and even chips up my own too small to burn twigs for a jar of honey and a dozen duck eggs!
Chicken's ***** will rot almost anything organic down very nicely!!!

Yeghes da