The smoker is the emblem of any beekeeper. An effectively light up smoker, meaning one with cold and white smoke, ensures the security of beekeepers.
To light up your smoker, you can use dry newspaper, dry grass, pine
needles ou buy smoker fuel (which is very convenient because it ensures
an effectively light-on smoker under any weather). You need to avoid
synthetic fabrics, colored papers and plastic materials at all cost.
Before visiting your apiary, you must each time verify the state of your
smoker. To clean it, you can simply use your tool hive by scraping the
excess that blocks the smoke from coming out of the beak.
Here are 6 easy steps to light your smoker on:
1 – Before lighting it, open it and turn it over while tapping it
gently on the ground. Also check that the beak if clear enough to let
the smoke come out.
2 – Pick a non-inflammable spot and light your smoker fuel above the open smoker.
3 – Carefully place your light-up smoker fuel inside the smoker. Keep
the smoker open and press the gusset between your thumb and your index a
few times.
4 – Add some other fuel, such as haystack, cotton canvas, corrugated cardboard…
5 – Using your hive tool, pack down the content of your smoker. No hot,
light and blue smoke must come out of it, it would mean that the fuel is
catching on fire.
6 – Close the top of the smoker and press the gusset a few times.
Your smoker is light up! You can now enjoy visiting your apiary.
Here are 3 easy steps to use a smoker:
1 – Press the smoker’s gusset a few time at the entrance of the hive,
with the beak facing the inside of the hive. By doing so, you are
alerting the bees of your arrival.
2 – Remove the rooftop then proceed to remove the corner of the cover
with your hive tool, and smoke the top of the hive. Keep using the
smoker while removing the rest of the cover.
3 – Remain calm and avoid sudden movement while continuing to press the
gusset (beak towards the inside of the hive, between the frames) in a
regular manner for about 30 secondes. If the bees seem agitated, repeat
this step a little longer.
Always keep in mine that slight pushes of gusset are ideal to keep bees from being aggressive and that, with time, you will master the art of using a smoker. However, be careful not to over-smoke your bees and risk to suffocate them. Your smoker should remain close to you at all time while you are visiting your apiary.