Beekeeping smoker

Beekeeping smoker

What is the beekeeping smoker?

Beekeeping smoker is a tool that helps you to keep bees calm. 

You will also use it to move the bees out of your way so you can work with frames and boxes. 

How does beekeeping smoker work 

It consists of fuel chamber and bellows. When you pump the bellows the smoke comes out of the smoker. Beekeepers are using that smoke during inspections to calm the bees and move them away when needed. 

What does smoke do to bees 

When bees sense the smoke they stick their heads in cells with honey and eat it. 

This is because they think fire is threatening their hive and want to save the honey in their honey stomach.

Well, they don’t actually eat it, rather save it inside their body in case of emergency.  

With their belly full of honey they are heavy and sting less. 

Also they are running away from smoke so beekeepers are using it to move the bees out of their way when taking out the frames and putting back the boxes. 

The smoke will also cover up the alarm pheromones. If bees can’t sense the alarm pheromones, they will attack you less.

Buying a beekeeping smoker 

There are two types of beekeeping smokers:

 Beekeeping smoker with bellows

 Electric beekeeping smoker

Beekeeping smoker with bellows is more commonly used. It’s cheaper and easy to use. We recommend you to use a smoker with bellows. This is what we use. 

Electric beekeeping smoker is more for professional beekeepers with huge number of hives. We don’t use it ourselves.