What is the smoke that beekeepers use?

A bee smoker is the device beekeepers use to puff smoke into their hives. This smoke doesn’t harm bees, it just interferes with their sense of smell so that they don’t react to alarm pheromones. Bee smokers are usually referred to as “smokers” for short.

What is the best thing to put in a bee smoker?

Natural materials like pine needles, dried citrus peels, and dried herbs make great, long-lasting burning fuel. You can mix these ingredients with material that lights fast to get things going. Brown paper, dried deciduous leaves, small twigs, cotton, and straw work well.

Is smoking out bees bad for them?

Beekeepers have been using smoke to calm bees for generations. There have been no long-term side effects on the bees’ health and smoke protects a colony from experiencing high levels of stress and aggression. Smokers are only harmful when beekeepers use them inappropriately.

Is a bee smoker necessary?

The smoker is an essential part of beekeeping equipment, and it should always be at hand. Using smoker makes the bees more cooperative so you should always use it when working with open hives.

What kind of smoke does a beekeeper use?

A respectful beekeeper uses smoke in a careful manner. Cool white smoke used sparingly calms the bees. Some beekeepers chose to not use a honey bee smoker. They feel that it is detrimental to the bee colony.

Do you need to smoke bees to save bees?

Contrary to the information from “The Bee Movie”, beekeepers do not smoke bees to cause harm. Proper use of a bee smoker will calm the honey bees and help save bee lives. An attack by honey bees always results in some bee deaths. Honey bees sting to protect their colony.

What kind of wood do you use for a bee smoker?

Most beekeepers use whatever material they find available in the area. Cotton, burlap cloth, wood pellets, pithy wood, dried sumac flower heads, corncobs and others are popular types of bee smoker fuel. The type of natural smoker material available will depend on where you live. But for me, it is dry pine needles.

What happens when you smoke honey for bees?

The bees fill their stomachs with honey in case they have to evacuate. Fortunately for the bees, the harmless smoke will quickly dissipate and colony activity will return to normal. A respectful beekeeper uses smoke in a careful manner. Cool white smoke used sparingly calms the bees.