Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: melliphile on May 11, 2006, 03:46:29 pm

Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: melliphile on May 11, 2006, 03:46:29 pm: I've been using staghorn sumac seed clusters in my smoker, and while they tend to take a little more stoking, I believe the increased mite drop is due to the sumac. A friend told me to try tobacco. He said to buy the cheapest cigarette rolling tobacco and throw a plug in. Kind of makes sense, nicotine is a pesticide. I wonder about an effect on the bees, though. Anybody have any experience with tobacco "smoking"?
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: Understudy on May 11, 2006, 07:59:03 pm: I use long fibered sphagnum moss. Some clean burning wood pellets on occasion.

Sincerely,
Brendhan
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: Robo on May 12, 2006, 08:46:53 am: Check this thread, it has been discussed before.

http://beemaster.com/beebbs/viewtopic.php?t=4456&highlight=smoker+fuel
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: melliphile on June 25, 2006, 09:16:27 pm: Brendhan, where do you get long fiber sphagnum moss?
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: Understudy on June 25, 2006, 09:25:30 pm: Home Depot or Lowes , Garden Section, also know as Orchid Moss

Sincerely,
Brendhan
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: Apis629 on June 25, 2006, 10:04:00 pm: Just use what's cheap and available. I myself prefer dry, dead grass, pine needles, twigs and whatever else I find/collect when doing lawn maintenance.
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: Romahawk on June 25, 2006, 10:48:00 pm: I rob mine from the bundle of shavings I use for the dog kennels. Works great for me after I get them going. Lots of smoke and easy to add more if needed.
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: Hi-Tech on June 26, 2006, 01:45:07 am: pine shavings (pet department), pine straw, hay and for long lasting, refreshing flavor.... dry cow patties...
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: Bubba on July 10, 2006, 06:55:51 pm: ceeder chip's that are used for pet bedding. Y ou get around 50 lb for 5 buck's. Nice thick smoke and it dont choke you like some other fuel's "pine needles".
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: keeper007 on July 11, 2006, 06:58:34 pm: i use ceder chips too
works great and its pretty easy to get started
Title: Re: What's in your smoker?
Post by: Finsky on July 11, 2006, 09:30:32 pm: Quote from: melliphile
I've been using staghorn sumac seed clusters in my smoker, and while they tend to take a little more stoking, I believe the increased mite drop is due to the sumac. ... Anybody have any experience with tobacco "smoking"?

It is not good idea to kill mites all the time. Smoke disturbs bees most. If you have calm bees they need smoke almost at all.

The taste of smoke attach on wax and honey and it spoils a little bit honey.

It is enough for me when I trickle mites with oxalic acid 20 seconds in Ochtober. Otherwise I like use smoke as little as possible.

Mites are inside brood caps and they do not drop with smoke.

.
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: TwT on July 11, 2006, 10:24:23 pm: Im going out on a limb here but ill say this, people say use certain kinds of smoke to kill mites, they say they get a higher mite count during 24 hours!!!! I don't usually do mite counts but I have a couple times,,,, the thing is to make something that gets on the bee's from what I seen that makes them groom!!!! I used sucrocide one time last year on a hive that had soo many mites they would kick out of the hive about 5 bee's in 15 minutes with DWV and I treated this hive one time with sucrocide by just spraying between the frames (24 hour drop after treating was 76), the next week I had another hive do the same thing and I did the same thing with this hive but I only sprayed water (24 hour count after treating with water was 63) and that was just water, BOTH HIVES STILL GOING STRONG THIS YEAR AND MADE IT THROUGH THE LAST WINTER.... I have heard of others doing this with water and thats were I got the idea from but it made the bee's groom more when they get something on them........ this is not a cure by far but it is something that may(not sure) make the bee's groom more.... I use cardboard in the smoker, it comes free with the stuff I buy or I can get a load of it at Sam's............ Oh hads to say that I dont know what the mite count was for either hive before treating just knew the had DWV...... and these were both feral hives I removed last year.......CARDBOARD ROLLED TIGHT WILL SMOKE FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS IN A SMALL SMOKER...

OK take your shoots at me now, I can just tell what I have seen........
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: Brian D. Bray on July 12, 2006, 05:35:28 pm: I'm from the old school--if it works use it as long as it's not toxic. Over the years I've used just about everything you can imagine, cardboard, burlap, twine, shavings, bits of wood, moss, rotting logs, etc. The only constant is that I always use a little fresh green grass or leaves to cool the smoke. I still just use what's handy.
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: melliphile on July 12, 2006, 06:35:02 pm: My understanding is that the smoke kind of "stuns" the mite. Maybe it makes the mites cough just long enough to lose grip. I don't know. I just figure that I use smoke when I open the hive, why not use something that the bees don't mind and the mites do. I do mite fall counts in the spring and fall and when I want to test the efficacy of any tx. Sumac seemed to yeild better results than some other materials, but I never tested tobacco. Guess maybe I will 8)
Title: What's in your smoker?
Post by: melliphile on July 28, 2006, 06:31:23 pm: Never mind that, I've "kicked the habit" and quit smoking altogether. Last two visits, I didn't even light the smoker. Finsky wrote:
Quote
[Smoke disturbs bees most. If you have calm bees they need smoke almost at all.]
The bees were fine, just went about their work. I'm not throwing my smoker out anytime soon, but I'll definately use it less.