> Quickbee wrote: That would be me ("Quickbee" = "Bee-Quick" = "The Guy who was James Fischer before he started keeping bees"). I wrote the article cited, so I'm not sure if I should debate the divergent interpretation offered, or apologize for the article being unclear enough to interpret in a divergent way. :) >> But the entire point of that article was that there is little >> difference between the various choices in smoker fuels > "highly variable"?? Yes, the byproducts of combustion vary quite a bit depending upon a set of factors that defy precise quantification, such as the moisture content of the fuel, the air humidity, how tightly you "pack" your smoker and thereby limit airflow, and so on. This variability "swamps out" the differences between fuels, leaving the choice of fuels to a less-complex discussion about what lights easily, and/or what appears to smolder well Since the combustion process itself is what varies, and the smoker fuels are all essentially cellulose, the fuel just does not matter as much as how you use your smoker, store your fuel, etc. > In his article "Blowin' Smoke" James Fisher concludes: >> "no matter what you burn in your smoker, your 'clean, >> cool smoke' is a mix of superheated toxic chemicals >> and carcinogens that cannot possibly be good for you, >> your bees, or your honey if used in excessive amounts. >> Bottom line, easy on the smoke. It's nasty stuff." > So what isn't toxic? None of it isn't toxic. Its ALL toxic! The mere act of burning and smoldering will create toxic stuff. There's simply NO SUCH THING as "non-toxic smoke". That said, there is no known disease called "beekeeper's lung", so while we certainly may inhale more smoke in a season than the average Boy Scout does on camping trips, it does not seem to be the source of any health problems, so we can all relax. I forgot - here's something else that might help put my view of smokers and smoking bees into perspective: http://bee-quick.com/reprints/smoker.pdf -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---