Use of smokers is not allowed in the forest areas where we take our bees in the summer for the fireweed honey crop. Being reluctant to use aerosol 'smoke bombs', I put sacking in my smoker and dampened it with carbolic acid at the dilution used for the old-fashioned 'bee cloths'. While this was a bit less effective than a normal smoker, the bees did pay attention, e.g. one could clear them away from any required part of the comb surface. Having the use of a familiar aid was very convenient, even though it was less effective than normal. Falconer Henry email: [log in to unmask]