Smokers

[TerraJoy]

What does everyone burn in their smokers? I was told to rip pieces off an old tee shirt, but it seems to always go out... any suggestions?

[Riggs]

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,212.0.html

Hope this helps, you can read for days.

[stella]

I sprung 2 bucks for some 'smoker fuel' when I ordered all my stuff. Its a bag of cotton fibers and cottonseed husks. I take a little pinch and light it, drop it in my smoker and then add leaves and sticks. Sometimes I get a good lasting smoke going and sometimes Im walking away from the hive to relight it. Seems that if I dont puff it between frame inspections it wants to go out.

Im off to read the link riggs posted. The way it sounds Ill be there for days.  ;)

[danno]

my favorite is old dried sumac berries and 2nd favorite is a wad of baleing twine

[Askrub]

I like pine needles and cones. I also use a wood planer from time to time and the shavings / chips work well in the smoker. And they tend to last longer.

[AllenF]

Dry leaves straight out of the woods or just old cardboard if it has been raining.   Go for the free stuff.

[twintrades]

Were in northern wisconsin so theres a never ending supply of pine needels. I light some and pack in the rest. Works for me.

[Burl]

 Pine tree bark works well for me .  Lights well , makes good smoke , and burns long .  I get it from old dead trees when it begins to peel off easily . 
     Burl - You can always tell a DOGWOOD tree by its bark .

[beewitch]

As I am allergic to pine needle smoke, I've been using white sage bought in large packages.  Yes, it's not free, but it smells great, always burns quickly and stays lit, and has a nice white smoke.  Bees seem to get a "kick" out of it, too.  And a large bag lasts me about 4-5 months as I only have 2 hives.  I buy it on ebay - lots of sellers of bulk white sage there.  Makes me also wonder if that's why my honey is so good this year! ;)

[mikecva]

I use huckleberry and apple twigs and dried grape vines. I also use pine needles when I want to smell like a camp out with the scouts. I have avoided lint from the dryer because my wife (read as boss) uses those dryer sheets and I am not sure they are safe for the bees, although the boy scouts use it a lot.   -Mike

[Brian D. Bray]

I've taken to using a combination of bailing twine, burlap, and wood chips.  I get the twine from the hay bales I feed to the sheep, the burlap from some of the feed sacks, and the wood chips from making hive parts and other things.

I call decycling.  Reducing trash to ashes.

[nella]

Most baler twine is treated with chemicals.

[twintrades]

Mabey the new stuf but most by me isnt.

[Michael Bush]

Try a search for the 500 other times we discussed this... burlap...

[VolunteerK9]

Isnt this what threads are for asking questions ? Sometimes people dont have time to sit and sift through the endless articals people have written. I just have a urk about people complaing about othres not useing the serch button. Like thumper said " If you cant say somthin nice dont say nothing at all." THis isnt just directed twards michael bush. So dont take it the wrong way.

Rant over.

Not sure how fast your questions are replied to,but I can usually find what Im looking for faster using the search button than waiting for a day or two on replies. After you have been on here for a while, you will notice that alot of the most educated beeks will start posting less and less because alot of the questions have been asked over and over again. Do a search, then if you still cant find what you are looking for, then throw it out on the forum. As long as this forum has been around, Im satisfied that one could find plenty of prior postings on smoker fuel.

[twintrades]

Im not saying the search button isnt valuable. Just saying its easyer to click replies to your posts. Than to sit for a while sifting through posts. Im done with the subject. Lets move on.

I used a chunk of fuel from mannlake a freind gave me. It burned for 3-4 hrs straight but you have to pay for that i like free better.

[CapnChkn]

Any other Pipe smokers out there?

Though I haven't picked mine up in years now, anybody who learned the art can tell you the three things you need for fire are:

*Fuel
*Heat
*Oxygen

If the smoker is going out, one of these items is not there in the right quantity or quality.  Too much fuel the fire doesn't get enough oxygen.  Not enough fuel, it doesn't keep any heat.

Watch a pipe smoker.  The fuel is packed in in layers.  Light the pipe, and tamp the fire out.  This turns the first part of the Tobacco on top to charcoal, and presses it into the unburned.  Now when you light it it heats the charcoal, which retains heat because of the ashes on top, the wood and tobacco surrounding it.  Pull on the pipe to add oxygen, and a puff of smoke appears.

I start a charcoal fire in a pan, blow it to red heat, and put whatever fuel in on top after emptying it in the smoker.  You'll need twigs cut into the right size chunks to replenish that charcoal.  Twigs, leaves, or dead grass all work for the smoke.  The twigs will become charcoal when all the lighter elements are "cracked" off.  Want good smell?  Cedar boughs to smudge the hives for luck.

I think this is what people are asking.  Not, "What do you like in your smoker?", but rather, "What is the magic stuff you do to keep the smoker lit?"

[don2]

I use old blue jeans, (100% cotton). Cut the pockets out, they are not 100 % cotton. I use a hand held torch to light it. Don't put too much fuel in before getting it started good. Once it get started gooood, it very seldom goes out.don2 :)

[VolunteerK9]

Any other Pipe smokers out there?

Lol..I tried it a couple of times. Never could keep it lit with the c.c cavendish. Just switched over to Copenhagen. Maybe I should have tried burlap in the Meerschum instead.