Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Looking for the best smoke making material  (Read 14103 times)

Offline DayValleyDahlias

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1629
  • Gender: Female
    • DayValleyDahlia's Blog
Looking for the best smoke making material
« on: April 27, 2007, 11:41:37 am »
Placing an order to Dadant today for some tools, many smoke making materials to choose from...which to buy?

Offline Hi-Tech

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 528
  • Gender: Male
    • talkhunting.com
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2007, 11:47:30 am »
I bought some cedar shavings at Wal-mart (pet supplies) and mix it with hay. easy to start, burns good and smells nice  :)
Computer Tech, Beekeeper, Hunter = Hi-Tech Redneck
talkhunting.com

Offline DayValleyDahlias

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1629
  • Gender: Female
    • DayValleyDahlia's Blog
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2007, 11:48:33 am »
Oh goody, thanks I just found a bunch of post here about the smoker fuel...sensory overload here...oh my...

Offline Hi-Tech

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 528
  • Gender: Male
    • talkhunting.com
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2007, 11:52:30 am »
Also, this may sound funny, but If I am going to be working bees a long time that day, I will add some dried horse or cow manure and my smoker will burn for many, many hours...
Computer Tech, Beekeeper, Hunter = Hi-Tech Redneck
talkhunting.com

Offline The Whale

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 10
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #4 on: April 27, 2007, 11:54:18 am »
We found (in our limited 1-year experience as beeks  :)) that cedar chips used as bedding material for pets do a great job. We bought a huge bag at WalMart in the pet supplies department for about $6.00 and they work really well. Cheap and reliable. And the bag is enough to last for years!

We tried the cotton wadding stuff we bought from Brushy Mountain but found it a bit difficult to work with. Although I'm sure others really like this or they wouldn't be sellling it.  :)

Got this suggestion from someone on this board last year - can't remember who or I would give them the credit. It certainly was not an original idea but definitely a good one!!

Linda in Nashville
Linda Williams

Offline fishawk

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 23
  • Gender: Male
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #5 on: April 27, 2007, 11:58:06 am »
Placing an order to Dadant today for some tools, many smoke making materials to choose from...which to buy?

Mann lake has some fuel that works well 1.95 a bag and if you buy five 35 cents off.

Offline DayValleyDahlias

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1629
  • Gender: Female
    • DayValleyDahlia's Blog
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2007, 12:03:37 pm »
Is all this stuff put in dry or damp??  Boy am I a new bee eh?

Offline Hi-Tech

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 528
  • Gender: Male
    • talkhunting.com
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2007, 12:04:54 pm »
All dry....
Computer Tech, Beekeeper, Hunter = Hi-Tech Redneck
talkhunting.com

Offline Dane Bramage

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 509
  • Gender: Male
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2007, 12:49:07 pm »
Coir ~ I eat a lot of coconuts, dry the fibrous husks in the sun (or dehydrator) and use this for smoker material.  Works well and even smells nice.   8-)

Offline 00dakota

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #9 on: April 27, 2007, 12:56:40 pm »
We use dried pine needles, make a lot of smoke.

Offline lively Bee's

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 137
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2007, 01:43:34 pm »
burlap burns for hrs and makes a nice cool white smoke.  I pick them up for .25 - .50 cents each.  Look for ones that have had coffie beans etc in them dont buy bags that have had seeds and planting in them they have been treated and could kill your bees.

If you have a coffie roaster near by you can get them for free all you can haul.

Offline Bennettoid

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 352
  • Gender: Male
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2007, 01:52:08 pm »
I use burlap as well.

Offline Mklangelo

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 403
  • Gender: Male
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2007, 02:38:34 pm »
40 pound bag of wood pellets for 10 bucks from Dadant.  I haven't used em' yet but that's pretty cheap and is should last a LONG time for me.

<img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/miniStates_both/language/www/US/WI/Milwaukee.gif" border=0
alt="Click for Milwaukee, Wisconsin Forecast" height=100 width=150>


If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.
  - Robert X. Cringely

Offline kensfarm

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 137
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #13 on: April 27, 2007, 03:00:45 pm »
40 pound bag of wood pellets for 10 bucks from Dadant.  I haven't used em' yet but that's pretty cheap and is should last a LONG time for me.

Go to Home Depo, Tractor Supply(TSC), Lowes..  and that 40lb bag would have cost less then $5. 

Offline BeeHopper

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1122
  • Gender: Male
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #14 on: April 27, 2007, 04:28:14 pm »
I use a roll of toilet paper .












Just kiddin'  :-D  Pine needles and untreated burlap, both work well .

Offline DayValleyDahlias

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1629
  • Gender: Female
    • DayValleyDahlia's Blog
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #15 on: April 27, 2007, 04:56:57 pm »
hahahaha  roll of TP...

I have burlap that I used for nesting material for my aviary birds...got it from the coffee roaster years ago..guess I will use burlap...I also have some Monterey Pinds on the land...needles too!  Hooray


Offline beeginner

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 107
  • Gender: Male
  • The swarm I hived
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #16 on: April 27, 2007, 11:44:04 pm »
Pine needles is the best its a nice light smoke and not to hot for the bees.

Offline ctsoth

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 91
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #17 on: April 28, 2007, 04:26:39 am »
Why would you use cedar?  It is a natural insecticide.  Although to be honest, I have no idea if the smoke contains any harsh chemicals.  At least those reptile bark chips are being used by someone, their worthless for pets. 

Offline buzzbee

  • Ken
  • Global Moderator
  • Galactic Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 5930
  • Gender: Male
    • N Central Pa Beekeepers Facebook Page
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #18 on: April 28, 2007, 07:14:53 am »
Why would you use cedar?  It is a natural insecticide. 
Insecticide or repelant?Quite different meaning! ;)

Offline wrk4beer

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 32
  • Gender: Male
Re: Looking for the best smoke making material
« Reply #19 on: April 28, 2007, 08:02:43 am »
I have used the pine needles and
schreadded paper that I get in packing
The cedar sounds like a good idea
Got a bag of it somewhere now I'll have a use for it.
 
She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.
Mark Twain