Maybe The Best Smoker Fuel? All Opinions Welcome

[Bees-in-the-boo]

I have used a variety of different fuels from pine straw, sisal bailer twine, burlap and cardboard but the top of my list is alfalfa cubes.. these are compressed hay cubes about 1? and a full smoker will last for hours and once you have it going good it never goes out..

[Ben Framed]

I have used a variety of different fuels from pine straw, sisal bailer twine, burlap and cardboard but the top of my list is alfalfa cubes.. these are compressed hay cubes about 1? and a full smoker will last for hours and once you have it going good it never goes out..

I see your point and reasoning. Good idea Bees-in-the-boo. Thanks for posting your top choice.

Phillip

[BeeMaster2]

Bee careful using bailing string and new er burlap. They add ingredients to keep the bugs from eating it.
Jim Altmiller

[Lesgold]

Needed to jump into a hive quickly a few days ago to check on how it was progressing. When I went to my smoker fuel bag, I noticed it was empty. I had just cleaned up the workshop and had a pile of hardwood shavings that was under the wood lathe. Thought I?d give them a try. They were super easy to light and made a good, cool smoke. Yesterday afternoon a few experiments were conducted to see if they could be available option as a fuel. I was concerned that the shavings may exit the smoker when the embers were close to the mouth of the funnel. A load of shavings were packed in and the smoker was lit from the top. Initially there was an issue with embers and also heat but this settled down after a couple of minutes. I found that if a small handful of shavings was placed into the bottom of the canister and then then set on fire with a match, a fire quickly engulfed the fuel. The smoker could then be topped up and after a few puffs of air from the bellows, a good, cool smoke followed. I don?t think that this fuel will last as long as others that have been used but for a short visit of half an hour or so to the hives it should work well. If an extended period of time is required in the bee yard, the shavings will be used as a starter and then the smoker will be topped up with my usual fuel as it can be a pain to get stringy bark started at times.

[Kathyp]

I live in coffee country so I can get the burlap bags the beans come in.  I am assured that they are chemical free, but I give them a wash anyway. 

[Lesgold]

 Some coffee grounds could also be added to the smoker. I pick up about 4 tons of grounds every year and have not tried any as yet. They will be on the ?to do? list.

[paus]

I have used coffee grounds in a smoker and it seemed yo calm the bees more than pine straw and pecan hulls

[Ben Framed]

I have used coffee grounds in a smoker and it seemed yo calm the bees more than pine straw and pecan hulls

That's saying a lot as I remember how much you like pecan hulls. I bet the coffee grounds smell good in a smoker situation?

[Terri Yaki]

I'm wondering if the caffeine doesn't affect the bees. Are they more productive afterwards?

[Lesgold]

I?m not overly productive until I?ve had a coffee. Coffee grounds have had a lot of the caffeine removed and I would expect that only a small amount would be added. I will try some on a hive with attitude and see what happens.

[Lesgold]

Tried mixing some coffee grounds with some shavings but it didn?t want to light up easily.  If smoker is started with only shavings and then the mix is added later, it seemed to work fine. It was an unusual burnt coffee aroma. Which is what you would expect. Went to look at a cranky hive to see how a couple of foundationless frames were being drawn out. We have had a couple of hot days and was wondering if the starter strip was going to hold in place as it was glued in place with wax. No concerns at all as the bees had already drawn comb down past the first wire.

[Ben Framed]

It was an unusual burnt coffee aroma.

Hi Les, did you find it a unusual pleasant smell or not so much?

Phillip

[Lesgold]

Hi Phillip. It wasn?t offensive in any way, just different. It would be interesting to add a dried puck or two to the top of the smoker and see how it goes. I thought from the comment that paus made, it was worth a try. The bees were still a bit cranky but I couldn?t determine if they were any better than usual. Perhaps they would prefer a long black over a flat white 😆😆😆😆😆

[Ben Framed]

😂😂

[max2]

I just purchased another compressed pack of woodshavings, the stuff they sell as animal bedding.

I have also used dry cow dung and hessian.
It all seems to work and I have not noticed much of a difference in the bees reaction.

[Ben Framed]

I have not tried shavings Max but I can see that it would be a handy fuel..

Phillip