What about Smoker Fuels ?

hollybees · August 03, 2008, 08:42:50 AM

Hello,
What type's of smoker fuels are best to use.
Anyone tried different one's to see if they are less or more irritating to the bees.

I just use the bark i find laying around in the woodshed and dried oak leaves because there everywhere.
Then i ball up some green grass and put it on top to cool the smoke.

What do you think?

Thanks

EasternShore · August 03, 2008, 09:35:15 AM

I use pine needles topped with grass clippings. I'm VERY NEW so take this with a grain of salt.

randydrivesabus · August 03, 2008, 09:40:59 AM

planer/jointer chips, pine straw, cut up old cotton socks

asprince · August 03, 2008, 09:47:09 AM

Check out this past thread.

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,212.0.html

Steve

hollybees · August 03, 2008, 10:39:23 AM

Ok, thanks for the advise
The link from "asprince" to a past post had lots of info.
I think I'll try them all as an experiment to see how the bees react to each.
Mine are pretty aggressive maybe something made with hemp would mellow then out a little.

Paul

Moonshae · August 03, 2008, 05:29:42 PM

I just use dry leaves, dry grass clippings, or pine needles, depending on what I have laying around. I use the pine needles first, because they burn easier, but I generally have more dry leaves. Both work just fine for me. I even rolled up a corrugated cardboard "plug" that just fit into the smoker...that worked pretty well, too, but was more work than it was worth. If you don't have easy access to natural materials, the cardboard could work great for you.

wadehump · August 03, 2008, 10:10:47 PM

burlap or old blue jeans

BMAC · August 04, 2008, 09:02:09 AM

anything that is natural and laying around on the ground that is free!!!! Mainly bark and small chunks of wood from the tree line.

Scadsobees · August 04, 2008, 10:28:23 AM

I pay my kids to pick up pine needles when the pine trees shed, and then sycamore bark when the sycamore tree sheds (and it sheds a lot!). It keeps them busy and now I've got 6 bags of bark waiting for me.

Pine needles light very easily and smoke a lot. Sycamore bark not as easy but still very easy, and it won't go out. Both are very consistent, and if I keep them on hand then I'm not grubbing around the hive for chips that may or may not be dry and burn well.

Both burn up quite fast so for longer times need to keep the bag of fuel nearby. But for 6 or 8 hives it all works very well.

Rick

josbees · August 04, 2008, 06:07:17 PM

Empty coffee sacks that the grocery store would just through away, and after my kids have used them for racing......

dpence · August 05, 2008, 02:08:47 PM

Dryer Lint, I learned that one here....

David

WayneW · August 05, 2008, 02:25:37 PM

I light a handful of hickory chips as kindleing with a torch ( always some handy around the bb-q :) ) and for now, that fluffy stuff from mann lake (looks like masticated and regurgitated burlap ) Burns for a long time, and i get alot of smoke from it.

pcelar · August 05, 2008, 03:29:47 PM

I use clean, raw, short cotton fibers and cottonseed husk that are compressed under extreme pressure from Miller bees supply. One 3" plug will last several hours! They sell it by the pound. Nice COOL smoke. Check their catalog on the bottom of 29th page.

NWIN Beekeeper · August 05, 2008, 03:44:06 PM

I found something different this year.

My wife bought a paper shredder for all her junk mail.
She accumulated two kitchen garbage bags full and it had me thinking (Uh Oh!)

So I had a few swarm/trap-out calls and grabbed a handfull or two.
It lit really nice and it smoked very well.
And it smoked really well, and smoked, and smelled a little funny?
At first I thought it might be the soy inks....
Later on I realized something that sparkled like glass....
Oh MAN... She shredded all the mail... including the plastic envelop windows!

So just word to the wise, if you plan to shred your own paper and are considering the mail - omit the windows.

-Jeff

1of6 · August 05, 2008, 03:51:20 PM

I use cut up [old] jeans, 100% Cotton preferred.

Now - there is a local gentleman who uses tobacco - he claims that the nicotine helps kill mites. This worries me a little bit, as do some claims that I've heard about direct contact taken by handling this so much directly. Has anyone else heard of anyone using the same fuel source, or of concerns about direct contact?

pcelar · August 05, 2008, 05:15:23 PM

Quote from: pcelar on August 05, 2008, 03:29:47 PM
I use clean, raw, short cotton fibers and cottonseed husk that are compressed under extreme pressure from Miller bees supply. One 3" plug will last several hours! They sell it by the pound. Nice COOL smoke. Check their catalog on the bottom of 29th page.

The reason I use this stuff is: This stuff makes extremely cool smoke (doesn't heat/burn bees) and has almost 0 creosote and cinder. :)

hankdog1 · August 05, 2008, 08:53:56 PM

Quote from: 1of6 on August 05, 2008, 03:51:20 PM
I use cut up [old] jeans, 100% Cotton preferred.

Now - there is a local gentleman who uses tobacco - he claims that the nicotine helps kill mites. This worries me a little bit, as do some claims that I've heard about direct contact taken by handling this so much directly. Has anyone else heard of anyone using the same fuel source, or of concerns about direct contact?

I read about it somewhere that it produces a sticky film all in the hive with the bees and causes them to clean themselves thus also pulling off mites. Does it work i don't know. But i would suspect that if it does work it's not the nicotine in the tobacco but the tar produced that would give the desired effect. Besides i don't know how well it is gonna work if your bees are cooped up all nite with no fresh air in the hive breathing that junk.