Lesson 21: The Smoker and Hive Tool
The two tools you'll use every time you open a hive
Ask beekeepers which tools they couldn't do without and nearly all will name the same two: the smoker and the hive tool. This lesson covers what they are and how to choose them. Lesson 32 covers lighting and using the smoker.
The smoker
The smoker is the single most important tool for keeping stings down, more important even than protective clothing. It's a metal can (firebox) where fuel smolders, a bellows on the side that you squeeze to push air through, and a spout on top that directs the smoke.
How smoke works
- It masks the alarm pheromone. When guard bees sense a threat they release an alarm scent that tells others to sting (lesson 11). Smoke covers that smell, so the signal doesn't spread, a bit like air freshener in a smelly locker room.
- Bees move away from it rather than toward you.
- Bees gorge on honey when smoked, which makes them less likely to fly and sting.
The result: less flying, less stinging, and less disruption to the colony, as long as you use it properly. Too much smoke can make bees panic, and the smoke should always be cool, never hot enough to burn bees.
Fuel
Use smoldering, non-toxic fuel that makes a cool, dense smoke: pine straw, burlap, untreated wood shavings or sawdust, or wood pellets without any accelerant added. Pine straw is hard to beat where it's easy to find. Never use anything treated with chemicals.
Choosing a smoker
- A heat shield (a wire cage around the can) protects you from burns.
- Heavy-duty vinyl bellows resist cracking and tearing longer than rubber ones.
Smokers with these features cost a bit more, and one extension guide calls them well worth it: they're safer, and a good smoker lasts for years.
The hive tool
Bees seal everything together with propolis (bee glue). Without a hive tool, it can be almost impossible to open a hive. A hive tool is a flat metal bar, chisel-like and slightly curved at one end, used to:
- pry apart the lid, boxes and frames;
- lift frames out (some tools have a hook for freeing frames);
- scrape wax and propolis off hive parts;
- pull nails during repairs (many have a nail slot).
There are several styles. Try a few to find one that fits your hand. Hive tools are easy to lose (they're the same color as everything else in the yard), so keep spares in a toolbox you take every time you work bees.
Other handy tools
- Bee brush: a soft brush for gently moving bees off frames, for example at honey harvest (lesson 71).
- Frame grip or frame spacer: optional helpers for lifting or spacing frames.
- A toolbox to carry your hive tool, spare fuel, lighter and notebook.
How it looks:
A smoker in use during an inspection (USDA).
What to remember
- The smoker is the most important tool for preventing stings: smoke masks the alarm pheromone and makes bees gorge on honey.
- Use cool smoke from non-toxic fuel, and don't overdo it.
- Choose a smoker with a heat shield and durable bellows.
- The hive tool pries, lifts and scrapes; keep spares.
Quick check
- Give two reasons smoke calms bees.
- What makes good smoker fuel?
- Why do you need a hive tool to open a hive?
Show answers
1. It masks the alarm pheromone, and it makes bees gorge on honey (and they move away from the smoke). 2. Something non-toxic that smolders and makes cool, dense smoke, such as pine straw, burlap or untreated wood pellets. 3. Bees glue the lid, boxes and frames together with propolis.
Adapted from: UGA Bee Program, Getting Started: How to Light a Smoker and Beekeeping Equipment; Mississippi State University Extension, Beginning Beekeeping in Mississippi (P3594); UF/IFAS Extension, Welcome to the Apiary! (4H446); Purdue Extension, Learning About Beekeeping (4-H-1057-W).
Photo: smoker in use, Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service (public domain).
Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.