Using water spray instead of a smoker

[E&MBees]

I was looking through some beekeeping books and read about an alternative to using a smoker. The author suggested using a fine water mister with a drop of honey in to calm the bees. According to the author, the fine water droplets make the bees think it’s raining and therefore encourages them to hunker down. The honey acts in a similar way to the smoker where the bees fill up on stored honey. Instead they groom to remove the water and ingest the honey solution.

Have other beekeepers used this technique?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes have used occasionally but no honey. Just water and maybe one drop of peppermint oil in hand garden sprayer. Need a fine mist and a warm day. It’s not a thing to be using on a coldish day. Don’t need much smoke these days, sometimes just to clear frame lugs. You can move bees out if the way off a frame with your fingers.

 

[enrico]

Water spray is good to calm them from the start but it won't move bees like smoke so it is poor at getting them off edges before putting hives back together.
E

 

[pargyle]

Yes have used occasionally but no honey. Just water and maybe one drop of peppermint oil in hand garden sprayer. Need a fine mist and a warm day. It’s not a thing to be using on a coldish day. Don’t need much smoke these days, sometimes just to clear frame lugs. You can move bees out if the way off a frame with your fingers.

Water spray is good to calm them from the start but it won't move bees like smoke so it is poor at getting them off edges before putting hives back together.
E

Yes ... exactly .. a fine mist water spray has a place in my toolbox but agree with both of the above.

 

[Antipodes]

I move hives a fair bit, and find that a fine mist of water quickly sends the bees that are hanging around on the entrance and face of the hive, back inside the hive, which enables me to then nail the aluminium screen over the entrance.

 

[E&MBees]

Thanks for the answers. It seemed a logical suggestion, but I thought I would check before trying it out on my bees. I assume a new small plant spray bottle will be sufficient.

 

[E&MBees]

Yes have used occasionally but no honey. Just water and maybe one drop of peppermint oil in hand garden sprayer. Need a fine mist and a warm day. It’s not a thing to be using on a coldish day. Don’t need much smoke these days, sometimes just to clear frame lugs. You can move bees out if the way off a frame with your fingers.

What does the peppermint oil do?

 

[Angry_Mob]

Repellent - They dislike the smell so makes them move.

 

[Beefriendly]

You need to start keeping bees that don't require smoking/spraying..or strange oils applied to gloves.....I always light my smoker but rarely need to use it...local mongrels in
my area excepted.

 

[pargyle]

You need to start keeping bees that don't require smoking/spraying..or strange oils applied to gloves.....I always light my smoker but rarely need to use it...local mongrels excepted.

Olbas oil is just a mix of aromatic oils including menthol, nothing strange or harmful .. a couple of drops rubbed into your gloves and there's no need for your nylon brush ., the bees just naturally move away from the tips of your fingers.

 

[Beefriendly]

Olbas oil is just a mix of aromatic oils including menthol, nothing strange or harmful .. a couple of drops rubbed into your gloves and there's no need for your nylon brush ., the bees just naturally move away from the tips of your fingers.

.

Sorry Parglye but I've reported your post as insulting to me. I was jokingly referring about the mentions of peppermint oil.
Sad!

 

[E&MBees]

You need to start keeping bees that don't require smoking/spraying..or strange oils applied to gloves.....I always light my smoker but rarely need to use it...local mongrels in
my area excepted.

My bees are very nice ones, and I like them! As a beginner, I’m keen to learn different techniques, and if using a fine mist to gently move them is an option, then it is one that I would like to try when conditions are appropriate.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The OP asked about a water spray for the bees.
They got some answers.
Keeping bees that don’t need water or smoke or anything else except perhaps a stern stare to keep them in order is neither here nor there, surely?

 

[pargyle]

Sorry Parglye but I've reported your post as insulting to me. I was jokingly referring about the mentions of peppermint oil.
Sad!

Funny that you should mention 'or strange oils applied to gloves.' when the only mention of Oblas Oil and gloves was here in another thread in one of my posts ?

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=45976&page=3
Post #22

Report all you like ... most of us know. Wriggle all you like ... Hoist with your own petard ..

 

[E&MBees]

The OP asked about a water spray for the bees.
They got some answers.
Keeping bees that don’t need water or smoke or anything else except perhaps a stern stare to keep them in order is neither here nor there, surely?

I assume that food grade peppermint oil is ok, the sort for flavouring sweets etc? Rather than the cosmetic sort.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Philip and Nigel
If you two don’t stop fighting here you’ll both get a holiday from the beginners section.
Might I suggest you both put each other on ignore for a while?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I assume that food grade peppermint oil is ok, the sort for flavouring sweets etc? Rather than the cosmetic sort.

Essential oil

 

[E&MBees]

Essential oil

Thanks Dani.

 

[Hachi]

Don't worry too much about the food grade stuff, you'll soon see bee's wanting water, take it from the muckiest puddle they can find.

 

[mbc]

Don't worry too much about the food grade stuff, you'll soon see bee's wanting water, take it from the muckiest puddle they can find.

They have a proventriculus to filter out things they don't want to introduce to their nest, a world away from deliberately spraying their home with foreign substances.
Fwiw I think water spray has it's uses but it's no substitute for smoke when handling bees.