Smoker Fuel

Never use silk, wool or hair for smoker fuel as it burns with an odor and will make your bees very cross. Cotton or burlap bagging, greasy cotton waste or oily rags, punk, dry partly rotten wood, small pieces of dry soft wood, dry grass and other dry fibrous material with no odor that will burn slowly make suitable smoker materials.

One of the very best materials for smoker fuel will be found inside the discarded oil filter cartridge of automobiles, trucks and tractors. This is composed of oil soaked cotton waste that can be removed by cutting off the outer can with a can opener or an axe. The waste will be too oil-soaked to use at once and should be hung on the fence to weather for 30 days before using. This waste will light easily, produce dense clouds of cool smoke and will stay lighted longer than any other material that we know of.

In lighting the smoker take a small piece of burlap hag, or other material that is easily ignited, about the size of your hand, light it and put it gently into the smoker, puffing the bellows until it is entirely aflame.

When you have a good bed of coals in the smoker shove in a larger piece of material (enough to loosely fill the can) which will smother the flame but will give dense clouds of cool smoke when the bellows is squeezed.

How To Light The Smoker

Take a small piece of the material, if it is easily ignited, about the size of your hand, or a piece of paper or other material and start a small fire in the fire pot of the smoker after being sure that the perforated grate is in place at the bottom with the legs downward. Work the bellows slowly at first and then more rapidly so as to get a good hot fire and then shove in a quantity of fuel which will smother the blaze, then close the lid. If successful you will get clouds of cool white smoke when you squeeze the bellows.

Never attempt to enter any hive without a good smoker in the hand and with clouds of smoke available for instant use. To do otherwise is to court disaster which may result not only in the severe stinging of yourself but anyone else or animals in the vicinity. Remember, the smoker is the most important tool in beekeeping.

Never stand in front of the hive. Before entering the hive blow several puffs of smoke into the entrance.

Smoke in the bees escape hole and then at the top edge of the hive as you pry up the inner cover.

How To Use The Smoker In Entering The Hive

On approaching the hive to be entered, step up from the rear and puff five or six good big puffs of smoke directly into the entrance. This will run the guards into the hive and many bees will put their heads in the cells and fill themselves with honey.

Always stand to the rear of the hive, if convenient, during the manipulations but if not convenient then stand on either side but never in the front of the hive. If you stand in front you will be in the way of the field bees with their heavy loads of pollen or nectar, and hold up their entrances to the hive. In a minute's time there may be hundreds of bees milling about you waiting for a chance to enter the hive. Then too, some of the bees may become angry at this undue disturbance and sting you.

In working with bees do not make quick movements such as striking at a bee that is flying around your head as it infuriates them. It is possible to work rapidly with bees but do this with steady movements rather than quick and jerky ones. Try never to jar the hives as this also angers the bees. Pry the supers and frames apart with a steady pressure rather than a quick jar and set the supers back on the hive gently rather than letting them drop. Handling the hives gently takes but little extra time and it will save you many stings.

Lift off the outer telescoping cover and blow two or three puffs of smoke down through the bee escape hole in the center of the inner cover. Then with the hive tool in the right hand and the smoker in the left pry up the inner cover at the rear right side, blowing in smoke and thereby forcing the bees down as the cover is gently raised.

Make it a habit to pry all covers and supers from the side rather than the end of the hives. The top ends of all supers are rabbeted out to half their thickness to form a rest for the frames so this is always the weakest part of the hive. If you continue to pry on the ends these thin edges will become damaged and soon a piece may break out or the bees will chew through and you will have a leaky body with the bees coming and going at the rear that will give you trouble every time you enter the hive.

As you raise the cover up continue to smoke the bees over the entire top of the hive forcing them down onto the combs and then proceed to remove the frames and to examine the colony. At frequent intervals you will notice rows of bees with their heads sticking up between the frames looking up at you. Give these bees a few puffs so as to send them downstairs, otherwise some will become angered and fly up and may also sting.

Use discretion in using the smokers. Don't become angry because one or more bees sting you, and try to run the balance of the bees out of the hive. Remember that it is only one bee among thousands that stings you and that you are getting even with the bees that sting you as they will die shortly after stinging, even though you do not kill them.

Smoke the bees down off the top bars before you lift out the frames. Keep your smoker handy and fired up with plenty of fuel.