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Lois

House Bee
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
305
Reaction score
0
Location
Buxton Norfolk uk
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
2 colonies now! and some spare parts.
I am intrigued to know what others use in their smokers,

1) I use sacking but is there anything that is better?

2) how do you light what you use?

and

3) how do you put it out or do you just let it smoulder till its gone or do you plug it with a cork or bit of grass?
 
1. I use old dry rotten wood. So old and dry it crumbles. stays alight for hours
2. B&Q sell a great little pen sized blow torch that uses lighter butane. Great for lighting smokers
3. Just let it go out
 
Hi Lois

1) I use cardboard egg boxes with a hint of pine shavings.

2) I use the blowtorch that i also scorch hives with.

Darren.
 
Hi Lois
1. Shredded cardboard - Th***** handily supply this when I make a large order every few years.
2. Ordinary cooks matches
3. Leave it to go out and return later to sort it out.
Cazza
 
Used all sorts in the past.

Corrugated cardboard, rotten wood, cotton waste, sacking, other natural fabrics, bits of rope and maybe some more.

1) Recently been using wood shavings. Easy to light, with a
2) gas torch or even a gas lighter. Avoid treated wood! Sometimes need a top up with more shavings and something damp, to keep the smoke cool.
3) plug (usually grass) and lay smoker on it's side.

Regards, RAB
 
Re keeping smoke cool. I shove a little fresh grass 'up the spout' so the smoke passes through it.
 
I use chips from firewood sawing. Extensive research has shown that rip cuts, using .404 chain, produces "noodles" that are perfect for smokers. Noodles at the bottom, bark chunks in the middle, and some damp stuff at the top for cooling.
 
T****s wrapping to start, old wood, pine cones and a wadding of green grass to keep the smoke cool. Plug of the same to put it out.
 
1. Packaging from P****'s, egg cartons when available
2. Long thin candle lighter
3. Plug spout, leave on side.
 
Hi Lois

with a hint of pine shavings.

.

That makes quite a flavour to the honey. Pine needle has muh tar=smoke that it condensates on the surface of combs.

I use rotten leave tree. Birch is the best. It depends on quality of rottening how it burns or burn not at all.
 
I started with cardboard and have gone over to Ted Hoopers preference- dried lawn mowings. They burn cool and with little tar- makes my eyes water less! I light a ball of newspaper, put that in, then add dried grass on top.
 
Just awfull to read! You poison your hives.
Crikey, I never thought. I don't use that much smoke anyway but you say birch is best?
Plenty of that around, I'll pick bits up when I'm out with the dog and dry it.
Thanks Finman.
 
1.I've been using egg boxes, pine cones, rotten wood, string, grass clippings, all to good effect.
2. I use a match to light it in the garage before venturing out.
3. An old sherry cork does the job of extinguishing the smoking embers.

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.
 
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!!!:D
 
any thing that smolders well as long as I don't have to pay for it.small cooks blow torch to lite it.Bunged with cork then hung in back of 25 year old VW T25 pick for next apairy or left to cool off before storing.
 
.
Look guys

Smoke what you see, is tar steam. It means dry distilling the wood.

When it meets a oold surface, it fix into it like a clue. It smells many days and the smelll is not honey smell.

You get a light smoke taste into honey when you use too strong smokes. Grass is on of the worst and all pine tree parts. When you taste uncaping honey you notice it.
 
.
100 years ago Finland, Sweden and Norway exported lots of wood tar. It was made from timber, which was covered with earth. So it got a little oxygen.

Heat of the "tar gray" steamed the resins and come out like distilled alcohol.

Tar was used in wooden ships and in ship ropes.

Smoking a fish has same technigue


historia_tervahauta.jpg


tervahauta.jpg


265.JPG



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar
 
Last edited:
Someone mentioned previously that T*****s shredded cardboard can come from a variety of sources, not necessarily good. The stuff I tried gave a pretty thick smoke which only enraged them further
 

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