Bee smoker

A bee smoker is a metal container with a bellows in which fuel is burned to blow smoke over bees. The smoke is directed by squeezing the bellows. According to Mississippi State University Extension, proper use of a smoker reduces the defence responses of a bee colony.

Fuels include pine straw, burlap, sawdust or wood pellets without accelerant. Models with a heat shield and a heavy-duty vinyl bellows protect against burns and last longer.

FAO warns that too much smoke flavours the honey, so only a little is needed. Beside the smoker the beekeeper carries a hive tool, used to pry apart lids, boxes and frames and to scrape off wax and propolis. To clear bees from supers full of honey, a bee escape, a brush or an air blower is used.

Why this matters to you. A smoker lets the beekeeper inspect a hive without irritating the colony, but the smoke must be moderate: too much changes the taste of the honey. So clean fuel and restrained smoke are part of honey quality, not just the beekeeper's convenience.