Read Them All Or Mostly Anyway

[beestinger1]

So ever since i found this forum ive been looking through every thread or most of them in this category. I like to be very organized so i am reading every category one after the other. Just finished browsing through this category. A true wealth of information that's been placed here, and im sure that i speak for every beginner here thanks to all who have made this possible.Also was wondering as im a beekeeper does tobacco smoke affect bees in any harmful way, or is it ok to smoke while im working in my beehives.

 

[echie]

"Aaaah! I'm covered in bees!"
Sorry, couldn't help it
As for your actual question, I thought you'd probably be the best person to tell. But I would imagine that it would definitely be harmful to them, and avoid smoking near them unless I got solid science saying otherwise.
Welcome

 

[lohengrin]

Welcome on this forum!
I knew that beeskeepers employ smoke to stupefy bees and bring away their honey. I don't know if smoking pipe is really harmful for them, but surely it is not a nice physical and psychological experience for bees!

 

[beestinger1]

<p>Sure we use smoke in beekeeping although i rarely do, its not so much the smoke as the after effects im worried about i need my bees alert and ready to work. If their not i wont have anything to steal from them

 

[pappymac]

I would think the bees might be attracted to some of the sweeter aromatics so I wouldn't smoke those around the bees. LOL
What type of smoke do beekeepers use and don't you think that beekeepers would be concerned about the long term affect of smoke on bees?

 

[perdurabo]

Bees have been dealing with smoke since Time Immemorial, in some fashion or sort.i wouldn't worry to much. How would you have time to smoke while keeping the bees off of you?

 

[jpmcwjr]

I smoke on my property walking past dozens of beehives, and neither the bees nor their owner has complained. But I am also not working the hives. OTOH, here the smoke is always above the hives, so very little could be ingested.

 

[pagan]

Wait a minute, you have read all the threads in this section? you need a hobby! hahahahahaha, you see what I did there LOL, ugh, I give up

 

[pagan]

Okay, now that I have regained my composure, I dont like to answer a question with a question, but hear goes;
how could you tend to a pipe while working your bee hive? don,t you wear a hat/hood thing? if not then I would think the smoke from the pipe would help keep bees away from your face.
I don't think there would be any long term affect on the bees, unless you contain them in a confined space and subject them to the smoke for a period of time.
and what do you consider "long term", dont bees have a relative short life span?

 

[mayfair70]

Studies link neonicotinoids to Colony Collapse Disorder. So my advice is DO NOT SMOKE TOBACCO near your bees, unless you want to accelerate/cause their demise.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/study-strengthens-link-between-neonicotinoids-and-collapse-of-honey-bee-colonies/
To calm bees any natural substance without harmful chemicals can be burned to produce smoke. The smoke masks pheromones used as the hive alarm system. A beekeeper I dated used clean dried hardwood chips, or burlap, in her smoker.
Bees are essential to agriculture across the world so CCD threatens the well being of millions of human beings across the planet. Plus, I can't imagine a world without honey. Best of luck Beestinger1 and I hope your bees thrive for decades to come.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Very curious about this thread as I too have been interested in taking up beekeeping.

 

[mihailo]

I know that for me my bees havnt been affected when I smoke by them, however I havnt explicitly done it while going through the hives, whenever I am doing that like previously stated i/you would use burlap or an non chemical smoking agent/fuel. However I have seen old Greek beekeepers smoking a pipe and without a vale while working the hives.

 

[jruthledge]

I wouldn't risk it. If you introduce the bees to pipe smoke there is a strong danger that they will become enamored with pipe tobacco and pipes. They may stop making honey and spend all of their spare time collecting pipes, trying various blends of tobacco and reading pipe smoking forums when they should be doing more productive things. I've seen this phenomenon fist hand.

 

[mayfair70]

If you introduce the bees to pipe smoke there is a strong danger that they will become enamored with pipe tobacco and pipes. They may stop making honey and spend all of their spare time collecting pipes, trying various blends of tobacco and reading pipe smoking forums when they should be doing more productive things

Yes. We certainly need more competition for auctioned pipes and hard to get tobacco blends. The question is would they smoke an estate with or without the stinger?

 

[sailortodd]

The question is would they smoke an estate with or without the stinger?

This is a difficult one to speculate on. Bees have stingers already, so does that mean with their own stinger they wouldn't need one in their pipes, or does their possession of a stinger show their fondness for stingers more generally?

 

[beestinger1]

Lol yes bees do have a relatively short lifespan(during the summer from 6 to 8 weeks) and i mainly use corncobs as fuel for my bee smoke or dryed grass but i use it very very rarely.And yes i do wear a bee mask while working. Chasing embers if u want to start beekeeping i encouage u to do so. Its a very pleseant work minus the beestings its also bee in my family for over 60 years( my grandpa started when he was 20 and he is 81 now), but beware its very sweet work.

 

[jerwynn]

"I keep the bees and the bees keep me" - Friar Tuck
Probably shouldn't smoke Middle Earth's Honey Mead blend around them... you could be mistaken for a giant flower, ripe for the denectarizificationing.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Mayfair-
That is one of the best on-topic, rare, even obtuse, photo I've ever seen. How'd you find it?? Google images?

 

[mawnansmiff]

Three things I wish I had learned in my life, bookbinding, cheesemaking and beekeeping. All three would be excellent hobbies for one's twilight years.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[mayfair70]

Jpmcwjr - I specifically searched Google for variations on "honey bee smoking tobacco pipe" and that is the only image which came close. The others were mostly bongs for some reason.