HOW TO USE A BEE SMOKER

It is important to be able to control the honeybee colony, so as to carry out inspections and management, this is done by using a bee smoker with the smoke disrupting the bees organised defensive behavior, with the aim of you not being stung.

Various designs of smokers are available at beekeeping equipment suppliers.

Using a smoker, also requires the use of a hive tool to open the smoker, stir up the hot fuel, clean the smoker barrel, separate hive boxes and remove frames.

The correct fuel is important, dry pine needles are ideal , dry bark from stringybark and sugar cane mulch are examples of ideal fuel that produces a cool smoke  and is slow burning . avoid fuel that upsets bees ,rags with oil, feathers , hair, that could taint the nectar. For more information on how to light a smoker click here

Avoid using smokers on cold, wet and windy days and days of high fire risk, and know the local fire regulations ensure you have water on hand, top up the fuel from time to time to prevent sparks.

The best time to inspect a colony is when most of the field bees are out working on a warm sunny day. In urban areas when your neighbors are not home so as to not upset neighbors.   

How to use the smoker sounds obvious, but mistakes can be made, by not lighting the smoker correctly so it goes out and stops producing smoke when you want it, using 

insufficient smoke or too much, failing to direct the smoke at the bees. 

Light the smoker in the bottom of the barrel, once hot add fuel slowly filling the fuel chamber, so when the bellows of the smoker are depressed the smoker produces a cool white smoke.  Check the smoke is cool by placing your hand in the smoke.

A common mistake is not aiming the smoke at the bees who are at the colony entrance and the bees inside the hive. In over seventy years of beekeeping, I have never seen a bee injured by smoke from a smoker.

Lite the smoker away from the bees in a safe place so as to not set fire to surroundings and don’t burn yourself.

Only use sufficient smoke to control the colony, 2 to 3 puffs is all that is needed each time you need to use the smoker to control the bees

Inspecting a colony

Stand at the side of the hive so you are not in the flight path of the field bees leaving and returning to the colony. 

First puff smoke onto your hands even if you wear gloves as the odor of the smoke will help repel the bees away from your hands .

Direct smoke at the guard bees at the hive entrance two to three puffs right across the whole entrance.

Then with your hive tool raise the lid and puff two to three puffs of smoke under the hive lid and let the lid drop down, wait a short time. this allows the smoke to penetrate the inside of the hive from top to bottom, stimulating bees to gorge honey or nectar disrupting the bees  defensive behavior.

Then remove the hive lid using a hive tool and use the smoker to smoke across the top bars of all the frames, frames can then be removed for inspection. If a super it could also be remove to inspect the brood box.

From time to time while the hive is open use the smoker to keep the colony under control and add fuel to the smoker to keep the smoke cool and spark free use the hive tool to open the smoker.

Try to get into the habit of holding the smoker between your legs so it is always available, some smokers have hooks to attach the smoker to the hive box ,or when not in use place on the lid of a adjoining hive never on the ground.   

Once finished working on the hive reassemble it, stop work, if robbing occurs, or the bees get out of control ensure the hive is reassembled.

Extinguish the smoker safely when finished by emptying the contents into a hole and covering with soil after wetting with water.

Clean the inside of the smoker to remove soot from the fuel with the hive tool then clean the hive tool with warm  soapy water to remove any wax that could be a potential disease spreader, also clean the smoker bellows.