Posted: 6/13/2010 12:58:26 PM EDT
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I just got some new hives about a month ago and it is my first time with bees.
i went out for the first time to look inside the hives and I started smoking them. they immediatly started buzzing and when I smoked them they all started coming out of the hive. The more I smoked them the more they pulled out of the hive. I wasn't putting a ton on, just a steady puffing. There was a slight wind that was taking the smoke away as well. I was using rolled up cardboard for fuel. How do I smoke them so they calm down and gorge themselves on honey etc like they are supposed too? |
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I just got some new hives about a month ago and it is my first time with bees. i went out for the first time to look inside the hives and I started smoking them. they immediatly started buzzing and when I smoked them they all started coming out of the hive. The more I smoked them the more they pulled out of the hive. I wasn't putting a ton on, just a steady puffing. There was a slight wind that was taking the smoke away as well. I was using rolled up cardboard for fuel. How do I smoke them so they calm down and gorge themselves on honey etc like they are supposed too? It is best not to smoke new bees.  ( That is assuming these are not established hives but newly-installed ones.) Or at the very least, it is best to smoke them very very lightly.
The "engorging themselves with honey" is a preparation to leave. After only a month, I would not smoke them heavily at all. And it could be that you are expecting certain behaviors which you are not going to get. Smoke confuses the hive because it covers teh queen's pheromones and so the hive can't communicate effectively. It also does cause them to gorge themselves on honey in preparation to leave, but it will not prevent some bees from flying around. There will ALWAYS be that happening when you open a beehive. Smoke as little as possible when they are new. Were you just going in to have a look? If so, what did you see in there? A queen? Eggs? Brood? It is also possible that you had your smoke too hot, which they would HATE (you can burn your bees if you're not careful) or that you were using something to make smoke which was offensive to them. What are you using to make your smoke? |
Okay I have no idea why I didn't see this before––the part about the cardboard. Read right over it.  Sorry.
You were burning your bees. Cardboard burns EXTREMELY hot. If you look in and look carefully you will find some house bees or ones which did not get away in time, and they'll have burned-off or singed wings. You may or may not have harmed your brood, depending on how close you got to the brood with the smoker. Don't ever use cardboard. Don't ever use a hard wood that is a hot-burning fuel. You need cool smoke. Cool smoke is the key to smoking bees effectively without hurting them. Cut up an old pair of jeans or some old burlap (if you can get untreated burlap––dont' want to use any that has any kind of chemical treatment on it). Roll it up tight and tie it with cotton twine of some kind. Use something like pine needles or a bit of paper, perhaps, to get the smoker lit and going, but then don't smoke the bees until all of that is gone and the cloth is the only thing burning. Or buy smoker fuel from a bee supply place. These all burn slow and cool, and won't harm your bees. You still don't want to puff right against the frames or anything, but this cooler smoke will not harm them and will have the desired effect. |
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I like to use pine needles with fresh grass on top. The fresh, moist grass cools the smoke off as it leaves the smoker. Oh, I bet that works GREAT––the moist, fresh grass. Nothing like wet fuel to make smoke. I always want something like a roll of cloth for longevity because I'm so slow in the hives. If I had just pine needles as dry fuel I'd run out of smoke just about the time the bees got good and pissed off. 
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I like to use pine needles with fresh grass on top. The fresh, moist grass cools the smoke off as it leaves the smoker. Oh, I bet that works GREAT––the moist, fresh grass. Nothing like wet fuel to make smoke. I always want something like a roll of cloth for longevity because I'm so slow in the hives. If I had just pine needles as dry fuel I'd run out of smoke just about the time the bees got good and pissed off. You would be surprised how long it lasts. I get it burning good and hot, then stuff more pine-needles on top, and pack them down real tight. That puts the fire out, but keeps a good bed of hot embers deep inside to keep the smoke going. I can easily get 30 minutes out of a load (although I have a tall smoker). If I'm taking more than 30 minutes in the hive the bees are gonna be pretty made whether there is smoke or not so at that point I'm usually trying to wrap things up pretty quickly. |
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I like to use pine needles with fresh grass on top. The fresh, moist grass cools the smoke off as it leaves the smoker. I use the same. Just pack it in there. OP: Also - smoke minimally. You don't want to cause a big stir. Two puffs in the entrance, wait a bit and then one in the cover. Just let them know you are visiting. Too much smoke makes them unhappy. Give pine needles a try. |