SMOKERS Monica Barlow and Nicola Bradbear, Bees for Development, 1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth, NP25 3DZ, UK

Bees for Development Journal 111 PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING SMOKERS Monica Barlow and Nicola Bradbear, Bees for Development, 1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth, NP25 3DZ, UK Keywords: alarm pheromone, Langermannia sp, smoker fuel, Tanzania, Zimbabwe A smoker is a container used for introducing smoke to control the bees during beekeeping operations. The fire inside is safely contained, and the smoke can be directed where needed by the beekeeper. How does smoke quieten bees? Smoke appears to have several, probably interrelated, effects. The bees’ highly developed communication system depends on detecting scents. When disturbed, bees emit chemicals that alert other bees to the presence of an invader, and they launch a concerted attack. Smoke hides this alarm system. Guarding is reduced at the nest entrance, and the bees are more reluctant to fly off the comb. When bees are disturbed by smoke, their natural instinct may be to fear that fire is destroying their nest. The bees fill their stomachs with honey, and prepare to escape with sufficient supplies to find and build a new nest site. In this situation the colony needs every bee and the resources she is carrying - A homemade smoker stinging represents a waste of resource, as the bee will die. Some people believe also that in this situation, when the stomach is full it is harder for the bee to flex it, and she will be less likely to sting. Ancient Egypt. The simplest smokers may be a piece of dried cow Some bees will fly out of the nest in an attempt to avoid the smoke. dung on a stick, a roll of sacking, or a bunch of dry grass or sticks The use of too much smoke, or smoke that is too hot, will make wrapped in green leaves. The disadvantage of these is that burning the bees angry, and may cause them to abscond and never return. fuel can fall and burn the beekeeper, harm the bees, start a fire or Early rock paintings in Zimbabwe show smoke being used in honey (below) Bridget Mbah, secretary to the Bamendankwe Rural hunting, for opportunistic raiding of nests, and smoke has been Development Woman Organisation in Cameroon uses green ferns used to manage bees in manmade containers since the days of to reduce the heat of smoke PHOTO © ELERI GRIFFITHS 8 Bees for Development Journal 111 PHOTO © ELERI GRIFFITHS Bridget Mbah and Josephine Musongong work together to harvest honey comb from a top-bar hive in Cameroon spoil the honey. Another very simple smoker can be made using a Beekeepers have personal preferences, depending on what is tin punched with holes, wrapped with a stiff wire handle, and filled locally available, but the following are all used as fuel: with burning cow dung. With all these simple smokers, it is difficult • Soft rotten wood or wood shavings to direct the smoke where it is needed. • Dry bark It is more efficient to make a smoker which will direct the smoke • Coconut husks to specific areas of the hive. Basic but effective smokers can be • Rice husks made from old tins, fitting a smaller tin (punched with holes on • Dry pine needles the bottom) inside a larger one, leaving an air space below. The simplest blow-type will have a blow hole on one side, into which • Maize cobs the beekeeper blows, and a smoke hole on the other, through • Tight packed hay which the smoke escapes. Sprung bellows can be added to the • Dried cut lucerne blow hole, making the smoker easier to operate with one hand. A • Dry fibres from papaya trunk nozzle can also be added to better direct the smoke. In both types, • Giant puffball slices (dried) air is pushed through the lower hole into the firebox, and the fuel Tobacco (in northern European pipe smokers) is prevented from blocking the blow hole by a perforated shelf. • The lid is opened to insert fuel. When the lid is closed, enough air • Dried dung of local ruminants enters the firebox to keep the fuel burning slowly: when the bellows • Dried camel dung are operated, the additional air produces a dense stream of smoke. • Old sacking burlap from jute or natural fibres (NOT plastic) The best smoker will be safe to handle, easy to operate, and will • Cotton or linen rags have a casing around the firebox to prevent burns. • Thick sisal rope Fuel • Corrugated cardboard (with no noxious fumes). Material used for smoker fuel must fulfil certain conditions: It is very important to avoid using any material treated with • Easy to ignite insecticide (most likely on sacking or glued cardboard). Some materials may have a high tar content and can block the nozzle • Open textured so that air is interspersed with fuel of the smoker. In Tanzania, tests showed that the best materials • Continues to burn slowly when the smoker is left to stand were dried cow dung, or dry fibres from papaya trunks: these were upright locally available, easy to ignite, did not spark, and did not smell • Quickly produces a dense stream of smoke when bellows are bad (Koisianga, 1996). operated If using a material which burns too hot, you can place a handful of • Is not toxic to bees or beekeeper green grass on top of the burning fuel. This produces extra smoke, • Has no smell objectionable to bees or beekeeper and will cool the smoke before it reaches the bees. It should just • Burns with a cool, even smoke. scare them - be very careful never to burn the bees! 9 Bees for Development Journal 111 In many countries certain plants and herbs are reputed to pacify such as damp grass, until the embers are completely extinguished. bees. Smoke from the giant puffball fungus Langermannia gigantea Store it in dry conditions, and empty of fuel. has been used for centuries in Europe, and from the African puffball Langermannia wahlbergia in Tanzania. Experiments have To smoke or not to smoke? Many beekeepers now prefer to avoid the use of smoke because demonstrated that the smoke has a narcotic effect, which wears of the stress it places on the colony. Smoke does not ‘calm’ bees, off after about 20 minutes, and that too much is harmful to bees. but frightens them into preparing to flee the nest. It can take many Method of use hours or days for the bees to repair damage to the structure and Light a small piece of dry fuel and place it in the smoker; work scent of the nest following such intrusion. A fine spray of very the bellows until it is burning well, then add more dry fuel above dilute sugar water can be used to distract the bees, but this cannot it. Close the lid and work the bellows until a steady stream of be used in cold weather, and does not have the same effect as cool smoke emerges from the nozzle. Note the wind speed and smoke. Many beekeepers find that they can work without the use direction, so you can direct the smoke efficiently. of smoke, and say their bees are calmer as a result. The smoker should be lit, and should be burning well and steadily In conclusion, smoke has been used for thousands of years to before any attempt is made to open the hive. It must produce cool enable humans to manage bee colonies, and to raid their nests for smoke, without flame or fragments of burnt fuel. Blow two or their valuable honey. The smoker is a useful – and for most of us, three puffs of smoke gently across the hive entrance. Allow a few essential – part of our beekeeping equipment. A good smoker will moments for the smoke to permeate the colony. If using a frame last a lifetime, and with the right fuel will help you to manage your hive, gently remove the top cover from the hive and gently puff a bees without upsetting them. little more smoke across the frames. If the cover is a rigid board, smoke can be puffed under it. The number of bees engorging References honey is likely to be greatest a couple of minutes after smoke is BECHTEL, P.; GAU, K. (1989) Practical Beekeeping: Make your own applied, and will drop by half, ten minutes later. Work carefully, and smoker. Bees for Development Journal 15 pp 6-7. apply more smoke when required. When not being used, stand BECHTEL, P.; GAU, K. (1988) Introduction to Beekeeping. Ministry of the smoker somewhere safe where it will not burn people or bees, Agriculture, Mbabane, Swaziland pp 40-48. and where it will not set light to vegetation. If inspecting many CONRAD, R. (2013) Natural beekeeping: organic approaches to modern hives, it may be necessary to refuel the smoker several times, so apiculture. Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, USA. always have sufficient dry fuel ready. A hook screwed to the back CRANE, E. (1990) Bees and beekeeping: science, practice and world of the smoker can be useful for safe and convenient hanging of the resources. Cornell University Press, New York, USA pp 154-158. smoker on nearby hives or stands, during beekeeping operations. KOISIANGA, R.S.O. (1996) A bee smoker appropriate for African conditions. Bees for Development Journal 41 pp 3-5. Smoke can be used to encourage the bees to move in a particular direction, toward or away from an area. Do not use too much, or the bees will run around confused. They need to be able to find a smoke free area to move towards. Smoking the person handling the bees can be helpful in avoiding stings. If you do get stung, it is important to remove the sting and immediately smoke the area of the sting.

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