Hello Tom,
 
When you smoke the bees you trick them into thinking there is a forest
fire. Instinct tells the bees to save their food supply making them go
inside and gorge themselves with honey. This has a "full-belly sedative"
effect on the bees making them less apt to fly and even if they do,  the
last thing they want to do is sting you. Too much smoke, on the other hand,
will just make the bees mad and scramble to get fresh air because they cant
breath. So just a little at the entrance before you open the hive, then a
little more across the top after will do the trick. Give them a little more
when they start to cover the top bars until you are ready to put the top
back on.
If you want them to clean up the super frames just set it on it's side in
front of the hive and it will be ready in 1 or 2 days. If you put it back
on the hive they will start filling it up again.
 
Hope this helps,
 
Chip
 
----------
> From: Computer Software Solutions Ltd <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Smoking bees
> Date: Wednesday, August 20, 1997 11:31 AM
>
> This is my first year beekeeping. I have 2 hives in my back garden in a
> suburb of Dublin Ireland.
>
> I have just taken the honey crop from the hives. To day I decided to put
the
> empty supers back on the hives to have the bees clean them up prior to
storage.
>
> I was debating with myself whether or not I should use smoke.
>
> I followed some of the books I have read, and used smoke when I was
lifting
> the crownboard. However I noticed that the bees were very quiet until I
used
> the smoke, and then they got a bit aggravated.
>
> I am wondering if I am using smoke unnecessarily and maybe upsetting the
> bees thereby.
>
> What I am really after are good guidelines for using smoke and how much
of
> it to use.
>
> Thanks for your comments
>
> Sincerely
>
> Tom Barrett
> 49 South Park
> Foxrock
> Dublin 18
> Ireland
>
> e mail: [log in to unmask]