Author Topic: Looking for the best smoke making material (Read 14222 times)

Cindi · « **Reply #40 on:** May 01, 2007, 11:05:51 am »

Dane, I have a nebulizer that I diffuse essential oils into the air. I love the pure feeling and smell of what issues from the diffuser. It wouldn't work in the apiary I don't think, the mist would be lost in the outside air. LOL. Best of a beautiful day, great health, lovin' life. Cindi

Dane Bramage · « **Reply #41 on:** May 01, 2007, 05:36:10 pm »

Quote from: Cindi on May 01, 2007, 11:05:51 am

Dane, I have a nebulizer that I diffuse essential oils into the air. I love the pure feeling and smell of what issues from the diffuser. It wouldn't work in the apiary I don't think, the mist would be lost in the outside air. LOL. Best of a beautiful day, great health, lovin' life. Cindi

Hey Cindi,

Nebulizers are nice eh? "Raw aromatherapy" (much better than heating the oils imho).
Now, in the apiary - come on girl, put that positive attitude to work towards solutions. One need not limit apiary phytotherapy to essential oils delivered via nebulizers (I listed a couple of other methods in my post). But, even if so, it could still work <puts on engineering hat> ok, here's one idea - put a tube around the end of your nebulizer (mine uses 1/4") and snake that into the hive. Either prop the lid slightly so as not to collapse the tube or, if this were an effective and often reoccurring treatment, drill a 1/4" hole in the top chamber (of course closed with cork, etc., when not in use). My nebulizers have variable output air-pumps and can literally put out a thick fog of essential oil mist. I've electrical outlets there on my deck as well.. so wouldn't even require an extension cord. An enterprising individual could set up a mini-solar panel driven air pump, timers, etc., etc.,. Or, low tech, a cotton ball with drops of essential oil placed in the hive would naturally diffuse in warm environs.

Now, as far as dosage, efficacy, contraindications, side-effects, etc., - that should be thoroughly explored prior to even considering delivery. There are many studies/resources available, monographs, therapeutic guides to herbal medicines as relates to humans (& some animal husbandry as well) but I've not yet found ayurvedics for the apiary. First rule = do no harm. :)

At any rate, very interesting stuff (for me) and sorry to derail this thread on a tangent (just ignore me, lol). I intend to do some research and (careful) experimentation on this, sooner than later if it becomes necessary ~ else just as a preventive treatment in very dilute applications. I can see a lot of very low-risk (non-toxic) anti-fungal & anti-bacterial options utilizing essential oils from plants and flowers with which bees already have routine contact. If fungus, yeast, etc., were a real problem it would probably be a good idea to remove the infected frames, etc., for treatment, leaving just a little residual essential oil (as opposed to fumigating the bees). Hmmm, I'm Jones'n for some alfalfa, fennel and thyme flower essential oil blend. :mrgreen:

Cheers,
Dane

DayValleyDahlias · « **Reply #42 on:** May 01, 2007, 07:10:22 pm »

hhhmmm I am feeling that honey bees are probably more vata, certainly not kapha...maybe pitta at times :roll:

Cindi · « **Reply #43 on:** May 02, 2007, 11:04:34 am »

Dane, you are also a master of long posts, good for you, there are a few of us around. It makes for some really good reading stuff, gotta love it, keep it comin'.

Listening, learning, have a wonderful day, full of good health and let the sun shine!!! Cindi

Dane Bramage · « **Reply #44 on:** May 02, 2007, 01:16:54 pm »

Quote from: DayValleyDahlias on May 01, 2007, 07:10:22 pm

hhhmmm I am feeling that honey bees are probably more vata, certainly not kapha...maybe pitta at times :roll:

...unsure what it has to to with herbal medicines in the apiary?

wrk4beer · « **Reply #45 on:** May 02, 2007, 09:49:35 pm »

used the cedar chips tonight,went well
and cedar sure does smell good

DayValleyDahlias · « **Reply #46 on:** May 02, 2007, 10:40:24 pm »

You mentioned ayurveda..hence...vata, pitta, kapha

heaflaw · « **Reply #47 on:** May 03, 2007, 12:16:50 am »

If you use marijuana, bees will get the munchies and eat all the stored honey.

mick · « **Reply #48 on:** May 03, 2007, 05:12:45 am »

A bit of chux cloth on top of the newspaper is now my favourite. It smoulders nicely.

Sean Kelly · « **Reply #49 on:** May 06, 2007, 05:50:54 pm »

I gota try those cedar chips out. I've decided the pellet stove pellets are bad. They burn super hot but burn for a really long time. What sucks is the creosote residue it leaves behind in the smoker. It's getting so bad that it's dripping out the sides of the dome. Just the day before yesterday I had a big drop of hot tar fall into my hive, right on a bee. Poor thing is dead now. Not to mention that stuff ever smells like smoke, I'm hoping the drops that fell into the hive wont screw up the social order of the bees like too much smoke will. Plus I think my smoker is ruined. Tried to scrub that gunk out with dish soap and a sponge and all it did was ruin the sponge.

Maybe this is a good excuse to buy a new smoker. :-)

Sean

Kathyp · « **Reply #50 on:** May 06, 2007, 07:49:34 pm »

i have been using the pellets and they seem to work well for me. i also use the pine cones when i have enough dry. cooler smoke will give more of a build up. i took a flat head screw driver and scraped some of it off the inside of my smoker. wonder if oven cleaner would work?? also wonder if you just stuffed the thing with newspaper from time to time and burned a hot fire if that wouldn't crack some of it loose?

asprince · « **Reply #51 on:** May 06, 2007, 10:00:41 pm »

I use what ever is handy and laying around. Pine cones, sycamore balls, pine straw, magnolia leaves, mill fiber, pellets, and any combination of the above. I do want to try the cedar chips.

Greg Peck · « **Reply #52 on:** May 06, 2007, 11:19:21 pm »

I called a local coffee roasting house today and went to pick up a burlap sack. Turned out he sells them normally but when I told him what I was going to use it for he gave it to me and asked me if he could sell my honey in his shop. He said he gets a lot of the all natural type people in the shop and knows he could sell local unprocessed honey. Coffee houses was a market I had not thought of asking to sell my honey.

So I cut the burlap in to a strip about 3 feet long and 5 inches wide rolled it up and put a piece of wire around it to hold it together. Lit it with a match and was smoking like a champ in seconds. I noticed that there is a lot more smoke and it is not even really warm. I have not used it with the bees yet but I like it a lot better then the smoker fuel I got from my local bee guy (same stuff you get from brushy Mt. it is cotton fragment i think.) I lites easier and makes more smoke and burned for a long time I put it out after about an hour. I am sold on the burlap, so long as it works with the bees and I am sure it will.

Thanks to whoever it was that brought the burlap up.

beemaster · « **Reply #53 on:** May 06, 2007, 11:53:24 pm »

I know it's been four pages since I posted this, but I stick by burlap. I get it clean from work, "clean rags" are bundled in it and the burlap is tossed out if I don't grab it first.

I use a propane torch now to get it really lit even, I show foot square sheets into the smoker like a balled up newspaper, then hit it with the Self-Lite propane torch while pumping the bellows. After 10 seconds, I close the lid which kills the fire and I get a good 20 minutes of smoke (very heavy but cool at first) and then less smoke but steady burning - I like to leave the smoker near the entrance, off to the side so some continually flows in a drift at a time.

I have a stack again a foot high, I found where we had 4 bundles of new rags at work today and poured all 4 into the clean-rag bin and got all the burlap I'll need this season :)

Call me old fashioned, but that is all I need for my hives and it sure does the magic it suppose to!!!!!

Cindi · « **Reply #54 on:** May 07, 2007, 10:27:18 am »

Back to burlap, good stuff. IN our local Bee Scene magazine, one of the fellows has a little quote at the end of his entry into this magazine "nothing but burlap in my smoker". That says it all. Best of a beautiful day, great life and good health. Cindi

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #55 on:** May 07, 2007, 06:31:18 pm »

If you want to cool your smoke put a handful or 2 of grass, weeds, or leaves in the smoker on top of the smoker material. The moisture in the grass cools the smoke. If it gets too hot just add more grass. The bees react less to cool smoke than warm or hot smoke.

Cindi · « **Reply #56 on:** May 08, 2007, 09:50:00 am »

Brian, now that is some good advice and totally makes good sense. Thanks for your input. Have a beautiful day, awesome day, good health. Cindi

beemaster · « **Reply #57 on:** May 08, 2007, 02:57:33 pm »

Greg:

What makes burlap so great is the weaving in it - it creates LOTS of holes for even fuel/air ration. I think I'm the first post in this 4 pager to mention it, doesn't matter - but the cost is usually nothing and it goes a long ways. The best part is it is a heavy smoker once the flame is out and it stays lit easily even if not pumped like many other fuels.

As I mentioned, I keep mine near the entrance so some goes into the hive in a steady light flow - nothing that would gas them, just enough to mask any alarm pheromones.

I think it can stay lit the best part of the half hour if a good size piece of material is lit. I wouldn't use any other material if I can help it.

Kathyp · « **Reply #58 on:** May 08, 2007, 04:36:14 pm »

beemaster, i agree with you that burlap is great. i had some and have used it all. wish i had a ready supply of it. it's easy to light and burns just right.

doak · « **Reply #59 on:** May 09, 2007, 12:13:21 am »

I have been using worn out blue jeans and grass clippings. I do get a lot of cresote build up.
No problem there. Take the bellows off and use the hand held tourch, cooks it right off. let cool and brush off.
Does anyone know what doesn't cause cresote buildup?
Have to try those ceder chips.
Say Magnolia leaves work?
Good thread, thanks guys&gals.
doak