Hi All
 
I am a bit late reaing all the digests but have seen some nice posts
about smoker fuels.
 
Firstly cardboard and possible contaminants from glues - the way to
avoid this - use the boxes you get paper in - these are made by
companies who recycle paper - they don't want paper building up
residues of horrible things and use simple glues of organic nature.
 
Secondly - if that is a problem use egg boxes (not foam ones). Those
stodgy papermache type ones. That makes a good dry smoke.
 
Why use cardboard - because anything else will make your honey stink
if you have to hard smoke the hive and there is uncapped nectar.
REason - lots of easilly vapourised volatiles and tanins and tars
that cannot be in paper.
 
Pine needles - wow - as an alternative to carboard one can use the
section of the tree that is rich in all sorts of other things. In
comparing the smell of pine needles to egg boxes I can immediatly see
that the volatiles and tars that will be released and start gumming
up my bees and making the honey stink must be less in the cardboard.
As proof of this, see how much faster they can be smoked out with
pine needles (greater irritant) than cardboard.
 
Other bad things - grass, proccessed grass (cow dung) and burlap -
makes a terrible stench that gets into ones cloths, honey and if
removing bees, will impregnate furniture in peoples houses.
 
Just a few thoughts.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
 
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
Eastern Cape Prov.
South Africa
 
Time = Honey