>>  Once this is going pretty well, I like to take a few pieces of burr comb
>> (bees wax) and drop it down in. This has almost the same effect as the 
>> used
>> oil: the smoke is cool and dense, and the smoker stays lit forever.

For the COMMERCIAL beekeeper I recommend a "smoker box" on the rear of the 
truck bed .

I can't believe the number of commercial beekeepers which never seem to find 
the time to build a smoker box or weld hooks (for ropes) on their trucks. 
Both are step one when setting up a bee truck!

A former worker went to Kona Queen to work for a season and came back with a 
smoker method I adopted and will never quit using. I fill the smoker to the 
desired amount of wood pellets ( wood stove pellets sold in 50 pound bags). 
A full large smoker will be lit and smoking the next day if used little.

I light with a torch ( which takes only a couple minutes).

Always a lit smoker! I have been moving hives all week and not having to 
mess with keeping a smoker lit is a big help. ALL other fuels I have used 
will not burn all day  and most tend to go out if the smoker sits for 
awhile. Not so with wood pellets..

The smoker insides and inside of lid needs cleaned every so often. I also 
add a 8 mesh screen to prevent pellets from falling out the spout is 
dropped.

Kona queen sets up around 20 smokers on a rack and a propane system lights 
all before the start of a shift.

bob 

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