Usage of a Bee Smoker
In spite of the hassle of a burning smoker, some
modification on its basic design has been applied. One of the modifications is
adding an inner can which provide you with easier loading cleaning of the
smoker. They also put some holes in the burner walls to facilitate air
penetration. And to avoid burns, it is attached with an outer grid.
A bee smoker, or just called a smoker, is a tool to
produce smoke in the attempt to calm down bees. The basic principle is
smouldering some fuel, which is the flameless type of combustion of the fuel.
Calming bees using smoke has been practiced since long ago
in ancient times. Although it has been practiced that long, scientific studies
could not satisfactorily explain why and how the bees can be calmed down by
smoke.
A clear explanation is that smoke can disguise alarm
pheromones. These pheromones are released by the guard bees signaling the
presence of an intruder. Injured bees during an inspection of a beekeeper could
release these alarm pheromones as well.
While the smoke interrupts the defense mechanism of the
bee colony, the beekeeper can freely and easily open and manage the beehives. Smoke
is also a false alarm to the bees that initiates a feeding response. The bees
get alert and feed themselves with honey as an anticipation of leaving the hive
which they think is on fire. The distended abdomen due to honey over-eating
makes it hard for the bees to bend their body when stinging.
A typical beekeeping burning smoker includes also a below,
which is a tool to deliver pressurized air in a manageable quantity directed to
a certain point or area. In recent years there are some suggestions to get rid
of the impractical burning smoker where you have to light up the burner and
squeeze the below.
Those artificial smokes are sold in liquid form and
aerosol cans. The liquid smoke is a liquid concentrate that should be mixed
with a certain portion of water and put in a regular spray bottle. The
disadvantage of liquid smoke is that it might stain the inner side of the hive
and the possibility of being contaminating the bees.
Let us go back to the burning smoker. There are many types
of fuel that can be used in a beekeeping smoker. The appropriate type of fuel
should be natural and free form harmful substances. The common used fuel is
twine, hessian, burlap, corrugated card-board, pine needles, paper egg cartons
and rotten wood. Other alternative fuels that are commercially sold are
compressed cotton and pulped paper.
The fuel smoulders slowly due to the limited amount of
oxygen in the smoker. A repeated squeeze of the below is needed to provide
fresh air to keep the fuel burning. Smoulding provides thrifty usage of the
fuel where one load of fuel can be lasting for hours.
