Smoke

[Ely]

I am a little confused and would like something cleared up. I have been reading quite a lot on here recently and on quite a few posts smoke has been viewed very negatively.

I've just finished a course and they all used smoke as standard practise and I've always seen smoke going hand in hand with bee keeping.

Is it really that bad? Why?

 

[Roy S]

A smoker is one of the most useful if not THE most useful tool that a beekeeper has.....if used sensibly. There is a growing trend to use less and less smoke, this is fine if you have bees that dont require it, but a lot of situations can get rapidly out of hand without application of smoke at appropriate times.

If you want to see a practical example of this you only have to wait till your smoker for some reason goes out, and the moment it does...is the very time you need it most!

If your smoker is alight, it is not needed so much.....so my advise is.....keep your smoker lit and use it sparingly

 

[Hivemaker.]

No it's not bad at all.

 

[Grub]

I have been to meetings, not the Society I am in now (Veg) it was occasionaly turned into a blow lamp, poor little critters, but yes always use , but when required !!normaly when closing up so I dont squash them.

Grub

 

[susbees]

If your smoker is alight, it is not needed so much.....so my advise is.....keep your smoker lit and use it sparingly

If that's what you feel most comfortable with, then excellent advice. But with HTBH many never use smoke and those of us running some traditional hives too are more likely to follow the same ethos and use light syrup or a water spray much of the time.

Depends on your bees and their nature on a good day...and a bad one...and a queenless one...and one when they're crazed on OSR, depends on the proper use of protective clothing, depends whether you have to do something intrusive there and then or if it can wait if they're stroppy. Watching and learning from your bees is very, very important.