Smoking

[Finman]

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Bees need very light smoke. They run away with slight odor of smoke.
They do not need white cloud.

One thing is that the smoker will be sealed with cold tar. With good rotten wood tar will generate not at all.

 

[susbees]

This evening I've been getting a hive ready to go to the heather and used a water spray for the 1st time. Calmed the bees well and felt much more effective when dealing with guard bees buzzing my veil. Definitely one to use again.

Quite. Or 1:1 sugar syrup if no danger of robbing/wasps/cooler day. Lit a smoker twice this season...once to remove a vicious hive for requeening, once to do a complete rebuild on a double brood box. Why make them guzzle the honey and stop work?

 

[gregnut]

I use a sandwich of corrugated cardboard and strips of sacking, rolled into a cylinder. Lit with a lighter and a sheet of newspaper to get it going. lasts better and is cooler than cardboard alone.
The shredded cardboard from apiary suppliers often has a lot of tape stuck to it, which can't be good.
I burn off the tar in the smoker every so often with a blowtorch.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think I will try just the spray next time I inspect.

 

[freethorpe bees]

I tried the T****s packaging - but got a whiff of it myself and it was horrible! Plus there's loads of tar on the smoker. I now use rolled up cardboard with sacking - or egg boxes. May try dried grass as have load of it (as long as it stops raining!).

FB

 

[hedgerow pete]

i am a card board and or hessian smoker my self as its free to get hold of as for lighting a slight touch of white spirts helps it along

 

[Black Comb]

Hessian at the moment because I got a free roll. It seems cooler than the rotted wood.

The T***** shredded cardboard give me a bad head.

Grass in spout and lay it on it's side.

I use water spray in preference to the smoker.

 

[Finman]

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I have not tried much water but I have noticed that smoke irritates angry hives. Then water mist is good to drive bees away that I get inner cover on.

 

[Pookiesbees]

Have recently had access to a bale of hemp, which smokes with the most pleasing smell and no eye watering. Person who had the bale purchased it from a horse product suppliers.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Have recently had access to a bale of hemp, which smokes with the most pleasing smell and no eye watering. Person who had the bale purchased it from a horse product suppliers.

Would that be Hemcore or Aubiose?
I use that for my hens so have plenty so might try it.
Hemcore I'm sure has citronella added to it though.

 

[kathrynat]

I use a roll of corregated cardboard and some untreated cotton garden string. the string carries on smouldering when the cardboard has burnt out. I light it with a blow torch and then let it burn out.

 

[Silly Bee]

Try herbs, grasses, eucalyptus.

Rosemary is a nice one to use.

 

[freckledbeck]

Ive got loads of Rosemary in my garden, I guess you have to dry it out first? (we've got a rayburn, so could do that in the warming oven overnight?)

 

[Silly Bee]

I just trim it, leave it to dry out naturally.

I don't use a smoker much, so its no rush.

 

[Skyhook]

have used shavings as found T****s cardboard didnt burn well, and hadnt thought about the poisoning of hive!!! having said which first hive is a budget and girls are probably imune living in it!. Like the idea of grass cuttings, what do you do with them? leave them on the ground until dry or just take the top of the heap?? have tones of the stuff!! Will ahve to get more hives to use it up!!!

Leave mowings lying around until bone dry. If still having trouble staying alight, I mix in some wood shavings.