> >preferring nowadays to use a sprayer with 'liquid smoke'
>

I was hoping that someone with experience with liquid smoke would chime in!

Your observations may help us to evaluate the hypotheses re the mode of
action of smoke. Liquid smoke, sprayed on the bees, would be far more
concentrated, would not be expected to be as well distributed as smoke
fumes, and to have a much longer residual effect.  Any or all of those
differing properties may help us to evaluate the mode of action of smoke
upon bee behavior.

Question: do you dilute your liquid smoke?  Smoker smoke weighs very little
per puff, whereas undiluted liquid smoke would apply a far greater amount
of odorants.

Question: Does the odor of liquid smoke penetrate the cluster as well as
does smoker smoke?

Question:  Does a spray of liquid smoke cause guard bees to turn around,
and other bees to disperse, as does smoker smoke?

Question:  Does liquid smoke initiate honey gorging?

Question: How long is the duration of effect of a light spray of liquid
smoke?  A light puff of smoker smoke generally elicits a behavioral
response for perhaps a minute or so.

Any other observations of interest?

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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