Andy Nachbauer wrote (in one of usual long tomes that I enjoy so much):
 
>"Hard Smoke' is what beekeepers do when their bees get out of control. We
>have all done it and sometimes in the heat of the battle a little fire
>comes out and opp's some wings get flamed and a few handful of bees are
>prematurely aged and sent off to a better life.
>
>Today in many places in the bee world the varroa mite continues to cause
>beekeepers to Hard Smoke.
 
   That is the only part of his long message that I would like to address.
 
   I believe I mentioned before on this list that bees in a heavily varroa
infested colony can be quite mean.
 
   One technique suggested to me was to use a level tablespoon of ammonium
nitrate (yes, the same fertilizer used in the Oklahoma City bombing) mixed
in with the burlap in the smoker.  I have tried that on a couple of
occasions and found it to be most effective.  However, one must be careful
and not breathe the noxious fumes.  I also used this technique when being
photographed smoking a hive.  That way the picture so obtained clearly
indicates that smoke has been used.
 
                                                        Adrian
 
Adrian M. Wenner                         (805) 893-2838 (UCSB office)
Ecol., Evol., & Marine Biology           (805) 893-8062  (UCSB FAX)
Univ. of Calif., Santa Barbara           (805) 963-8508 (home office & FAX)
Santa Barbara, CA  93106
 
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*  "Discovery is to see what everyone else has seen,                  *
*         but to think what no one else has thought."                 *
*                                       ---    Albert Szent-Gyorgyi   *
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