If you ’ve ever watch a beekeeperharvest honey , you ’ve probably see him use pot to protect himself while he glean . Have you ever inquire precisely why this is ? The abstract thought is fairly simple : bee will sting hive intruder in self - defence reaction , and the pot will assist you bide sting - devoid and keep the bee safe at the same time .
The Role of Smoke
One of the main reasons to use smoking when harvest honey is to interfere with the bee ’ lines of communicating .
“ When bees get upset , they ’ll make what ’s call an alarm pheromone , ” allege Don Shump , owner of the Philadelphia Bee Company and president of the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild . “ When other bees smell that , it do them broken . ”
That sense of smell is one of the primary way of life bee communicate . The warning signal pheromone bees emit when they find an imminent threat smells like to banana oil , according to Shump . The settlement is also likewise alarm when a bee stick you , increase the likeliness you ’ll get stung repeatedly in the same spot . If you do end up getting stung , verify to wash your wearable before set about the hive again , as bees will smell the pheromone impart on your clothing on succeeding visits .
Smoking bee colonies also make bees less likely to sting because they go into survival mode , make you less of a business organization to them . “ When bee smack smoke on the colonies , it makes them mean the beehive is going to becharm on blast , ” Shump sound out . “ Their natural reaction to this is to try and save as much dearest as they can . If the hive is go to melt , they ’re going to need to make a new one . ”
When the heater enter the beehive , the bees start storing up as much honey in their bodies as possible in preparation to build a new hive — it takes 8 pound of honey to make a Cypriot pound of wax , which they ’ll need in the building . Once they ’re full , they ’re less tending to sting ; stinging you will get them to die out , mean the honey wo n’t make it to their newfangled home .
The disruption cause by the smoke is irregular , so it wo n’t suffer the long - term health of your colony . Once the weed dissipates , bee recuperate their pheromone sensitiveness within 10 to 20 mo .
How to Smoke a Hive
The traditional smoker — a alloy can with a hole on the bottom , with holler attach and covered by a cone lid — is the favourite method acting used by mod beekeepers . To practice one , first , you need to bulge a blast . Fill the smoker with fuel material , such as ducky bedding , wood chips or shavings , dead pine needle , or untreated burlap , and visible radiation with a grill easy . Take charge not to overfill , adding just enough that it will create a nice smoulder .
“ Once we get a bit of a fervidness depart , we ’ll snuffle out the open flaming , and stuff more fuel on top of it , ” Shump say . “ We ’ll attempt to get the cinders burning . You do n’t want an open flame in your can because if you murder the bellows , they can become like flamethrowers , and you could melt the wings on the bee . ”
Once you ’re satisfied with the amount of heat and fume being produced , hark back the lid to the smoker . Puff smoke around the hive using the tips below . When the tobacco user is not in use , keep it in a safe spot where it ’s not potential to start a flaming . comfort it occasionally to keep the ember burning . Once you ’re finished with the smoking carriage , extinguish it completely by dumping the fuel material in H2O .
Tips for Using a Smoker:
smoke your hive should n’t take more than a few mo . To get the problem done safely and effectively , use these steer from the University of Kentucky .
Understanding how to properly fume a hive will serve make your beekeeping hobbyhorse more safe and efficient . And as you know , shortly enough , you ’ll be reaping the sweet benefits .
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