On 17 April Rick Green asked:"  Why is it so difficult to get a smoker
started but you often find it still
> producing a steady stream of smoke the next morning!"
>
> The problem is that for fire to be self-sustaining the mass has to be at a
high temperature - and a small heat conducting metal tube is a crude tool.
Managing a smoker can be as difficult as managing bees.  Old time European
smokers had a large tube and a clockwork fan to keep them smoldering.  I
wish someone would produce a new one - with the tube of some insulating
material and not metal.
Every beekeepers has his own tricks.  Here are mine.
1 Heat the tube up first by crumpling newspaper, lighting and pushing in
lightly.  Let it flame up.  Add a second crumpled ball. While still well
alight, add a ball of damp dry grass - my favorite fuel as it is easily
found. Pump away to get the grass warmed to combustion temperature. The
grass needs to have been dried, then slightly damped. I keep a large plastic
bucket full.  When started, ram in more grass quite tight, pumping as u go.
2 To get smoke, give several long slow pumps away from the bees - then puff
the continuing smoke dribble very gently over the top bars.
3 When finished, fill the smoker hard with grass and put it away inside the
grass bucket and snap on the airtight lid.  This stops smoke smell getting
into the car. The fire dies down as the oxgen runs out in the bucket but the
smoker cools only slowly.  It will often come alive again at the next site
after a 30 minutes drive, just by puffing.
One day I will cut a hole in the bottom with a detachable cover, so I can
start it with a DIY blowlamp.  But I am not a metalworker.
Have had so much frustration over the years with smokers - would love to
hear how others cope.
Robin Dartington

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-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
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