The secret of smoke is to choose a feul that is not to hot. Bees are
fragile and their wings can be singed with hot smoke. Pumping the
bellows to excessively or pressing the nozzle into the hive opening
will certainly increase the chances of singing the bees. A little
smoke can go a long way. When I know that a colony is weak I use very
little smoke. With a stong colony I use more smoke and wait a bit
longer before opening the hive. In the confines and darkness of a
hive bees will react the same to smoke as long as the whole swarm smell that
smoke. If one thinks how good a bees' sense of smell is developed then
it is understandable that excessive smoke isn't required.
 
I use pine needles, cow- or horse dung and sometimes even dried grass
or Blue-gum leaves.
 
Last night I helped a friend of mine to move some colonies and he
used rhinoceros dung which he picked up on a game ranch. I was
pleasently surprised to see how well it lit, and the smoke were cool
and lasted long.
Dawid Swart
ARC-PLANT PROTECTION RESEARCH INSTITUTE
P/Bag x134
Pretoria
0001
South Africa
 
E-Mail [log in to unmask]
FAX (27)(12) 323-5275  TEL (27)(12) 319-7148