no smoke without fire!

[AnotherNewBee]

When you smoke a hive the bees go into swarm/danger mode, once they know that they don't have to leave the hive, I understand that they put back the honey that they don't now need. If that's the case your bees won't use up all their supplies.
Steven

How long would it have to burn, how dense would the smoke have to be, for them to think it's time to leave?

Or would it be heat that triggers them to leave?

 

[rink123]

Thanks Steven that's reassuring

If a lot of it is green, they shouldn't be burning it as it will be a nuisance to all the neighbours.

 

[BeeNice]

With bees, you can't tell, 'how long is a piece of string'. When you smoke bees they get quite a good first puff to put them into danger mode, right in the hive, with outside smoke maybe not so much enters the main body of the hive. I don't think there has been a study of how long they take to leave, I haven't heard of bees deserting the hive either in a fire situation or by being smoked by the beekeeper. If anyone does, maybe you are using far to much smoke.
Steven

 

[Dishmop]

I thought most local councils had banned garden bon-fires.

 

[Black Comb]

They can't even grit the road to the local surgery when it snows around here so I expect garden bonfires are way down the list.

 

[Bucks_Boy]

If a lot of it is green, they shouldn't be burning it as it will be a nuisance to all the neighbours.

Well when my neighbours stop their cats using my veg patch as a litterbox, their kids screeming for hours on end as soon as the sun comes out, polluting the air thick with paraffin ( barbeque ) lighter fumes from 3pm to about 6 pm every weekend between March to September and loud music from 6pm until 2am the same evenings ........ then I might consider not burning my laurel hedge clippings at dusk on a weekday during the winter rather than burn costly and "ungreen" fossil fuels taking it to the ( not so local) council dump.

Hopefully HS2 will drown them out and run over the cats !

Maybe we should all learn to live and let live a bit more....

 

[madasafish]

I only light bonfires when the wind is blowing away from:
the washing (divorce)
the bees - same direction as washing.
the neighbours - opposite the bees and washing.

On the odd occasion when it changes and engulfs the hives - 10 metres away from the fire- nothing has happened.

Mind you, I have learned from several decades of fires how to keep smoke to a minimum...paraffin works wonders even if it is an expensive remedy..

 

[Cazza]

I thought most local councils had banned garden bon-fires.

Not in this neck of the woods. Probably if you live in a larger town/city.
Cazza