Smokeless bee smokers, do they work?

[Erichalfbee]

Let’s leave it at that folks

 

[Wilco]

Well I appreciate the wordplay at any rate. There was no malice in it and it's amusing. The response was, however, decidedly pointed.

 

[Anduril]

This appears to be the best review. But I haven't seen how long 1 charge would last in an apiary or apiaries. Apisolis have their own forum and plenty of review videos.

 

[Antipodes]

A while ago I was talking to a relative in the antipodes that keeps bees. He did mention that during periods of high fire danger having any flames including bee smokers are forbidden and liable to fines if caught. So he was mentioning using water mist instead or working bees without smoke.

Would be interesting to hear whether its the same in @Antipodes neck of the woods?

Smokers can be a real issue in Australia with fire. I always have five litres of water with me and am very careful. *Note to self..."I must secure a fire extinguisher into my bee vehicle for next season". I always put the smoker in a fireproof metal box after use. Anything like a total fire ban, which seems to happen at some time during most seasons, you don't go near them of course.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02...re-accidentally-caused-by-beekeepers/11929490
I like the idea of these vaping type devices for beekeeping, but wish they were a lot cheaper.

 

[Newbeeneil]

My local SBI was bought one by the NBU as he was starting to have problems with the amount of smoke he was breathing in. he tried it for a while but has now gone back to a smoker as he found it less effective.

 

[peterbees]

Thanks for the comments.
We tried out an Apisol smokeless smoker at Conwy Beekeepers' Apiary Meeting on Sunday. Initial experience was favourable. The smoker subdued the bees OK; bystanders were not subjected to breathing in smoke. The appliance only produced "smoke" (actually a vapour) when the bellows were operated. The appliance could not be stood up like a conventional smoker.
I suggested a coat hook could be screwed to the back of the bellow.

 

[Grant R]

Glad you were able to give it a go.

I tend to leave it standing on the largest part of the bellows on a flat surface. I'm not sure if it is designed to be placed the other way round or on its back when not in use. I did see on Facebook that someone had an issue with a resistor being flooded.