Hello All

What do the list think of using water rather than smoke when handling bees.
A friend of mine uses it most of the time and swears by it. He claims that
smoking bees causes severe disruption to their working, and that it takes
many hours before the working tempo of the hive returns to normal.

I tried it out today, using a fine spray to put a 'mist' on the bees, and it
seemed to me to be about the same as smoke. They certainly seemed less
inclined to fly. I handled one hive without any stings and got about the
usual number from two other hives. I am going to try putting a small amount
of sugar in the water next time.

Would using water be an idea when finding queens as I read that smoke causes
the queen to make herself scarce?.

Any comments most welcome.

Sincerely

Tom Barrett
49 South Park, Foxrock
Dublin 18
Ireland
Tel + 353 1 289 5269
Fax + 353 1 289 9940