Smoke

[leechmann]

I have heard all sorts of things that smoke does, and I know that it works, but I'm just not sure why it works. So, I'd like too hear from the experts. Why does smoke calm the bees down? Do they really gorge themselves with honey, or does it block thier warning signals? What are the real reasons, and what are the myths?

[iddee]

Yes to both, and MAYBE some things we don't know yet.

[Michael Bush]

In my opinion, having opened many hives with and without smoke every night of the beekeeping season for many years, they will gorge on honey with or without the smoke.  The smoke just interferes with the alarm pheromone.

[AllenF]

Just as long as it works, that is all that matters to me. :-D

[hollybees]

It stopped using smoke my 2nd year of beekeeping, I don't like breathing it in and I've learned to read the bees better.
Maybe if the hive is hot, but I had a couple of hot hives once and it just seemed to irritate them more.
I vote....what ever u prefer :)
Try it both ways just move a little slower and when the volume changes back off for and minute let them calm down.
If you kill one get rid of it right away they frown on that!

[Kathyp]

depends a lot on the time of the year for me.  spring i get lazy and don't smoke lots of times.  when the honey is on, i smoke all the time.  cutouts i use it most times, but not always.  it's worth it to be handy with the thing because sometimes it makes a great difference.

[VolunteerK9]

I usually have one lit with me whenever I go into my hives to check, but only really use it when the serious headbutting starts.

[winginit]

Great question, Leech! I was wondering the same thing as I smoked my hive that has no honey.

[AliciaH]

I've managed to get through most of the season without using mine.  It's a long trek out to the apiary and one less thing to carry.  But this time of year it's not just one hive I have to watch out for, about half are feisty.  Took a bad hit through my suit last week so the smoker got dusted off and I'm using a bigger cart to haul stuff!  Was always pretty confident with my suit on but not any more, so even if the only pheramones getting masked are mine (for being nervous), it's worth the effort!

[greenbtree]

I would say always have it with you, especially if you are a distance from home base.  Once you get tagged a time or two you might as well paint a big target on yourself.  I just did a cutout and got stung 7 or 8 times - my two helpers 0.  After the first couple of stings they followed me wherever I went - inside, outside, right past my helpers... it didn't matter.

I am also interested in any ideas for masking or removing alarm pheromone on yourself.  In the case above the hive was so massive with so many bees everywhere that I would of had to smoke the whole neighborhood.  As it was neighbors were coming out and wondering why they were seeing smoke coming out the upstairs windows. Smoking the site of the sting helps a little but I am looking for a better solution.  I am going to try a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol - I will let people know how that works.

JC

[HomeBru]

This is not empirical by any means. I've been stung a few times working hives, usually through my own stupidity. I keep smoke handy most days "just in case" and will smoke a sting immediately. The times I've smoked the sting site, I've never been tagged a second time. When I've not had the smoker, I've generally gotten hit more than once.

I'm definitely agreeing with the idea of masking pheromones!

[hardwood]

Smoke is about the most important tool we have and I almost always use it. I can manipulate the population and move them where I want them with smoke, control the pheromone response to some extent and, maybe most importantly, reduce the stress to the bees themselves. This is of particular importance in bee removals. The less stressed the bees become the greater the chance of surviving the removal.

Scott

[Michael Bush]

Preventing a general alarm in a hive is doing the bees a favor.  You save the disruption of the general alarm.  You save the lives of bees that will try to sting you.  Unless you  have a good reason NOT to use smoke (like finding a queen) it is a better plan to use it.