Smoker fuel

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What do you use as smoker fuel ?

  • Wood Shavings

    Votes: 51 9.0%
  • Rotten Wood

    Votes: 73 12.9%
  • Egg Box's

    Votes: 22 3.9%
  • Pine Cones

    Votes: 15 2.6%
  • Hessian Sack

    Votes: 42 7.4%
  • Cardboard

    Votes: 112 19.8%
  • Cotton Pellets

    Votes: 16 2.8%
  • Wood Pellets

    Votes: 5 0.9%
  • A mixture of some of the above

    Votes: 160 28.2%
  • Something Else

    Votes: 71 12.5%

  • Total voters
    567
Hello Dr Joe, I like the sound of that. What oils do you use and how do you prepare the mix? Thanks :)

Edit: Ah I see from your other post you sell it, I thought you might be offering us a home made recipe.
 
Last edited:
Morning all

I use a fine water mist with a splash of vanilla extract.

Not one sting last season, girls very calm bee-smillie

John D
 
Morning all

I use a fine water mist with a splash of vanilla extract.

Not one sting last season, girls very calm bee-smillie

John D

How much is a splash, please, tazbee (proportions) and do you use real or fake vanilla extract?
 
Hi psafloyd

About 5ml to a Ltr.

I use real extract, Have to filter out the seeds as they block the jet.


Regards

John D
 
i use dried grass, just pick it up off the school field in the summer after the mowers bin round n dry it off in a huge net bag i made from scaffolding netting i hung in the boiler house, still got half a bag left from last year!
 
Smoker Fuel

Runnig a woodworking business, I can tell you that the chips, which come off the machines, are an embarrassment, because of gthe sheer quantity. Those that I don't use in my smoker, or can manage to give to fellow beekeepers, we take to a riding stables. They burn with a cool smoke, smell great and are guaranteed free from chemicals.
 
hi all
I use the Tanacetum vulgare
its easy picking along the roadside therand its dried well on this time
of the year
i chop the hole plant up in small pieses and its ready to use
Very easy to ligt up ,lasts long ,smoke is abundant and it has a rather good smell
bee-smillie
 
Agent for Th**nes tells me that they realise they have shot themselves in the foot by using shredded cardboard for packaging since it is an excellent smoker fuel!

At our last BKA meeting several beeks were sharing/passing around small rolls of corrugated card for smoker use. I have access to mountains of the stuff, well a lot, but would be reluctant to use it as it's glued together. ???
 
I use old hessian coffee sacks that my Father gets from a friend who runs a local coffee supplier; the are food safe so hopefully no chemicals, cool burning, they stay lit, long lasting, no tar and they burn down to next to nothing.

Oh and I get then for nowt :D
 
Anything thats Free.
Cardboard, Grass, Sacking, Th**ns packing.
I find rolled up cardboard easiest, topped off with a handfull of freshly mown grass.
 
dried bay leaves wrapped in a little hessian...


Smoulder like a dream and the smell is v nive keeps the girls quiet too.

It would be expensive if i had to go to holland and barret but I have several large bay tree's in the garden and I use a mixture of dried and fresh...
 
dried bay leaves wrapped in a little hessian...


Smoulder like a dream and the smell is v nive keeps the girls quiet too.

It would be expensive if i had to go to holland and barret but I have several large bay tree's in the garden and I use a mixture of dried and fresh...

Sounds nice - will give it a go
 
Cones put into a wood chipper are a good smoker fuel as you get different sizes that creates a better burn
 
I just used the shredded cardboard that Thor**s use in their packaging for the first time and it works a treat. Topped it off with some dried leylandi clippings for 30 minutes of cool smoke when moving hives on Sunday.
 
Rotten wood, the kind that you can break up into fibres in your hands. It isn't rotting fast enough in the old orchard, so I need to stock up in local copses usually when off to my heather site.

So do I but also wood shavings, have a wood turner near us. Well daresay more than one but one who puts them out for collection dry.
 
i use the bedding from the wifes gerbils, mostly shavings but also hay and cardboard thats been chewed up
 
i was using cardboard, and it was burning quickly, quite hot, threw ashes and not smoking well. Then last week I shoved dry grass in the top on top of the cardboard roll it made all the difference. Slowing the burning, much thicker cooler smoke, no flying ash.

I tried with just the dry grass but could not keep it alight. Maybe not so dry, maybe too tightly shoved in.
 

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