Bee Smoker: The Best Models Available

A bee smoker is a device used by beekeepers to manage the activity of the bees when the beekeeper needs to work on the hive. The bee smoker usually is an upright canister with a base that holds the fuel and provides for good air circulation to allow for a long, slow burning fire. A smoker can use a variety of fuels. The bellows allows the beekeeper to keep a low level fire smoldering and then direct the smoke into the hive.

Bees don’t like to be disturbed. But it is important for the beekeeper to perform a number of functions to take care of the bees and to harvest the products of the hive. Injecting cool smoke into the hive has a calming effect on the bees and enables the beekeeper to work without fear. Using a good bee smoker with the right kind of smoker fuel gives the beekeeper control of the hive. The smoke itself also may help to control some of the microorganisms that can invade a hive.

Safety, efficiency and ease of use are important considerations. A stainless steel canister is standard on high quality smokers. The bellows may be leather, rubber or a synthetic material. There should be a hook, so the smoker can be hung for storage, and a heat shield to protect the beekeeper from the heat. Some people like to hang the smoker at the end of a hive when they are doing a lot of work. This enables them to take a break with the smoker still functioning and close at hand.

The beekeeper ignites the smoker fuel, with a piece of newspaper or other material that will help to start the burning action. Then the fuel should burn at a low level to produce a cool smoke that will calm the bees without harming them. Most of the bee smokers in our review are operated with a manual bellows made from leather, rubber or synthetic material.

The bellows are used to pump the smoker to keep the fire smoldering. The smokers are basically pretty simple pieces of equipment, but the smoking process itself is a delicate one that requires some practice to perfect.

There are a number of options for smoker fuel. Many beekeepers like to do as much as they can themselves and may choose to gather some natural materials such as bark, pine needles or other fuel. Chemical and petro base fuels should be avoided, as they may be toxic to the bees and will burn hotter than the desired smoke temperature. Smoker fuel products are available from the same companies that sell the smokers. These include an interesting range of cotton based materials produced in a way that will burn slowly and smolder; producing a cool, bee-friendly smoke.

The experienced beekeeper will be very familiar with the techniques of effective smoking, but for the beginner, there will be a lot to learn. The differences between gently smoking the hive in a way that lulls the bees into a calm state and getting too much smoke or smoke that is too hot, or smoke that is not congenial to the bees, are subtle differences. The smoker equipment itself is not difficult to use. Most of the smokers are quite lightweight and easy to load and ignite. Developing the right touch to inject the right amount of smoke into the hive will just take practice.

Beginning beekeepers will need to learn how to control the smoke they are inserting into the hives. It shouldn’t be too hot, and there needs to be just the right amount. Too little smoke and the bees will not be affected. Too much smoke can cause serious harm to the bees. The fine points of different smokers will be appreciated once the beekeeper has some experience. Some of the smokers we compared come with complete basic tool sets. This makes them an attractive starter kit for beginners but will be of less interest to experienced beekeepers who will already have an assortment of tools.

The style and material of the bellows is an important factor in choosing a smoker. Beekeepers have definite preferences once they have tried different styles. The option of an electric battery operated smoker may be a good way for a beginner to focus on the smoke itself with less manual function to worry about. Our selection of bee smokers has excellent options for both the beginner and the experienced beekeeper.

In the end, our favorite was the CO-Z Bee Smoker. It has features that will appeal to beginners and old-hands alike, and the price is just right.