BEE-L Archives

Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

BEE-L@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 5 Jun 2010 22:56:25 -0500
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (100 lines)
>I agree with Bob that hardwood pellets make  great smoker fuel. My chief
>objection is that I don't want my smoker to stay lit forever.

Only a commercial beekeeper would want a smoker to run all day. The reason I
said "commercial". However when the temps are like they are today in
Missouri we work bees only a half day. We start early and do other jobs
after lunch. In those cases I only use a half smoker of pellets.

>I prefer for it to go out if I haven't used it for a couple of hours.

I prefer to have a lit smoker always when I work bees as I only wear a
mosquito netting for protection or no protection at all. My help *usually*
wears a full suit with ankles closed etc..

Our largest yard this spring contained 62 hives and we usually work all
hives in the yard. Stings are common. It is my opinion that the new zero
stings bee suits make for aggressive bees. New beekeepers tend to mash bees
and many commercial beekeepers are not careful about upsetting bees. I am
and try to not crush bees unessararily. With smoke and not in a hurry I can
enter most hives without protection but find help is not as careful. I make
new help earn the right to wear gloves when starting out. Nothing upsets me
more than a beekeeper cramming a frame of bees back in a hive mashing the
bees.
 I am not a hard task master I can understand why a beekeeper would want to 
wear gloves to keep propolis off your hands.

There are times when mashing bees can't be helped like when netting a load
af crawling bees or righting a dumped pallet of bees.

fire danger from smokers:
I have had a truck totaled from fire. Half my honey house burn up and two
other wax related fires. Putting out the smoker as Peter said is correct but
not practical for work in the bees hour after hour and moving bees. A lit
smoker is important to me and a lit smoker in a safe place (sealed smoker
box as far from fuel tanks as possible) might save my life. I have had a
smoker years ago set fire to a truck bed. A smoker in a bucket lit on the
back of a flatbed when a truck overturns can mean instant death. Fuel and
fire are not friends.

The story in Readers digest named "Night of Terror" decades ago detailed a
bee truck driver pinned in his overturned bee truck. I plan to include the
story in an upcoming article on bee truck wrecks with (unlike the Readers
Digest short story) the story from those from the Florida Apiary inspection
service which were on scene and the owner of the truck.  Luckily the lit
smoker was in a box!   Fuel poured from the truck but never came in contact
with the smoker due to location of the smoker in a box.


>Also, I refuse to pay for something that I am just going to burn up!

Compared to my other expenses in commercial beekeeping a 50 pound bag of
hardwood pellets seems small. Less than $5 a bag. The propane to light I
suspect is of higher cost.

Consider my paying a helper to light a smoker 6-10 times a day. relighting
in the bee yard? Time is money.

>By the way, a galvanized bucket with a tight fitting lid makes a great
>container for a bee smoker.

I agree  and safer than a open top pail. I have one a made with a cut out in
the top so the smoker does not go out. Works good but could not figure how
to prevent some smoke from exiting the container. Would not want in a van
with me!


>Using burlap, I kept the smoker going all day in a van, when I was doing
>state bee inspection. No smoke escaped from the bucket.

 Without air what kept the smoker lit?

I carry a fire extinguisher which used to be only available for the military
( now available to the public) but works better than all other fire
extinguishers  (but not for use in an enclosed space ) as pulls all air out 
of
the fire. Pour a gallon of gasoline on the ground and light and one spray
will put the fire out. Expensive as compared to the old powder fire
extinguishers but what price do you put on life, a building burning or truck
fire.

Remove oxygen from fire and it goes out instantly. "Cold Fire" is the name
for the professional material.

.>No smoke escaped from the bucket?

*Or* not enough to be an issue?

Company bee van is supposed to smell like
smoke! (kidding Peter !)

bob

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm

ATOM RSS1 RSS2