for those who live on the coasts
I found that coconut fibers as smoker fuel are less corrosive to my lungs
I have good luck in Kentucky with pine needles I gather in the fall. I get them while they are dry and store them in a large trash bag.
I like the pine needles that you get from a cut or broken branch, after they have turned brown. Easy to pick off the branch and all of the needles are in a nice line.
Jim
pine needles seams to bother me more than palm producs
I use wood pellets like they use in wood pellet stoves.
I usually have several hives to do at a time and one filling will last 6 hours or so.
I use starter pellets from Mannlakeltd to get it going.
cat litter comes in recycled paper pellets easy to start and burns for hours
I recently tried pine shavings originally designed for small animal bedding. One piece of newspaper and a couple handfuls and it started in 30 seconds. It was still smoking an hour later. The smoke was very cool and I could open the top with my bare hands while it was still smoking.
Next time I have to plane down a board for frames, etc. I know I'll hold onto the shavings.
When a pine needle smoker is packed properly, it blows cool smoke and it will last up to 5 hours.
Jim
Quote from: texanbelchers on February 25, 2015, 06:25:10 PM
I recently tried pine shavings originally designed for small animal bedding. One piece of newspaper and a couple handfuls and it started in 30 seconds. It was still smoking an hour later. The smoke was very cool and I could open the top with my bare hands while it was still smoking.
That's pretty-much my choice too, as there are no pine trees in my locality. I keep shavings and coarse sawdust (from ripping) in one bag, and finer sawdust in another. I start the smoker as you do, and then put a couple of handfuls of fine sawdust on top. If it's a little damp (but not wet), so much the better. This then smoulders away for hours, and if needs be can be topped up with another handful of the fine stuff. I use only a little smoke but over a long period of time.
LJ
I just use old bailing twine from a local dairy farmer. Once it is done holding hay in bails it works fine in a smoker. It does need to be crammed pretty good.
Next time I see a coconut tree I will know I'm not in Nebraska anymore... :)
I use garlic stocks /sumac berry's /and grass . works great will stay lite for hours.
I use the the garlic and sumac for VARROA and it does not work. But smokes well.
Someone said Black walnut was good, I have bags of it from where I planed a bunch of lumber. Anyone tried it? G
Curiosity question.
Has anyone ever tried corn kernals? I know some pellet stoves burn it.
Thanks
gww
nobody's tried hemp???
guess the bees would get too much altitude and drift off... :tongue:
>nobody's tried hemp???
It stinks...
Quote from: Maggiesdad on February 26, 2015, 12:44:43 PM
nobody's tried hemp???
guess the bees would get too much altitude and drift off... :tongue:
look that up here we got a good chuckle
Wood shavings from my woodworking. After I flatten a board I usually end up with a feed bag full.
LOL, good smoker fuel... No pine trees in Iowa, Kinda like Nebraska, so no palm products either, but I do have horses........ so i go to the farm supply store and buy a bag of Cedar shavings.. I tried the road apples, they worked, but.... ewww... cedar shavings SMELL GOOD, and make lots of pretty smoke, and I dont have to shovel them!
I break off smalll branches of pine and drape them over the bee fence to dry. That way I alway have some smoker fuel ready to go. Coconut husks work great, just cut them to size on the band saw and light them up.
Quote from: Maggiesdad on February 26, 2015, 12:44:43 PM
nobody's tried hemp???
guess the bees would get too much altitude and drift off... :tongue:
There was this one really hot hive... , and it is Colorado... :rolleyes:
Lot's of pine needles, almost everywhere.
I know you all think it's a joke, but the ditches in Nebraska are covered in hemp. The railroad planted it long ago... In my opinion it stinks both when you cut it and when you burn it. I just try to get rid of it...
heres a good one for you;
Honey B gone
http://www.honeybgone.com/
Spray it on a rag, stuff the rag into your smoker ( DO NOT LIGHT THE RAG ON FIRE) then just lightly puff the bees as if there was smoke coming out.. Worked VERY well to move bees so i could add sugar cakes, despite being 36 degrees. I will be testing it more as spring commences and cut outs begin!