Hi:  I'm sure Andy will or has filled us all in on liquid smoke.  I got
that tip from Pat Heitkam, a California Queen Breeder.
 
Our research nucs are well-established, 1-2 #, 2 story mini-hives
(composed of 4 or 5  standard frames cut in half).  One nuc is the
equivalent of 1/2 of a standard deep body.
 
We often stock-pile nucs, using standard hive bodies divided into 4
corners (4 nucs per box).
 
Nothing magical about using water. We simply carry spray bottles (the
plastic type for misting plants, or simply wash out an old Windex or other
cleaner bottle - just be sure to get rid of all of the previous
chemicals).  Pop the lid and gently mist the bees on the top bar.  They
will usually go down onto the frames.  You can even lightly mist the
frames if the bees get too upset.  Seems like a bit of water works
something like smoke, they don't fight it, just try to get away from it.
 
Some folks spray package bees with sugar solution when they hive the bees.
I don't like the mess and our research tests have shown that sugar mists
can kill bees (probably just sticks them up too much).
 
Water spray is not the approach to take on feisty hives or nasty days, but
on a mild tempered nuc on a nice day, works great.
 
Pat's liquid smoke, same idea, just add a bit of liquid smoke (buy it from
a restaurant supply) mixed with water.  The dilution may take a couple of
trys, we found the smokes vary a bit in intensity.
 
Cheers
 
Jerry Bromenshenk
The University of Montana
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