I used to use nitrous oxide 30 years ago when we had a strong native
population of German bees.  When I came across a particularly aggressive
hive that had not been worked in a long time with bees than tended to run
off the combs it was time for gas. The object was to find the old queen and
requeen.   In those days we had a lot of tobacco being grown here and the
fertilizer of choice for tobacco farmers was 'Bulldog soda', aka Chilean
nitrate of soda, 16.5% nitrate nitrogen with a photo of a bulldog on the
bag.  Ammonium nitrate was available but those of you familiar with
fertilizer know it is much 'hotter' than soda and upon nitrification it
releases hydrogen ions and acidifies the soil, things Bulldog soda will not
do.  My recipe was a teaspoon of fertilizer in a hot smoker and a shot of
the resultant gray gas in the mouth of the hive.  As I recall, the
combustion of the fertilizer produces toxic byproducts which can be very
hazardous.  I also recall that gassing the bees reduces their lifespan?
Finally, I recall that gassing bees was common in alfalfa seed fields as
the bees became tired of being hammered in alfalfa flowers and would soon
leave the fields, thus they were gassed to keep them close to home where
the alfalfa was.  All anecdotal from 30 years ago.  You know, I really
don't miss those German bees at all......

Bill Lord
Louisburg, NC

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