Smoke is a special device for fumigating bees with smoke. It is used in beekeeping to pacify bees when inspecting bee families.
In closed beekeeping pavilions , in order not to work in a smoky room, beekeepers are sometimes limited to spraying water with a “dewdrop” for the same purpose.
Device
The smoker's base is a cylindrical metal case with a cone-shaped lid, to which the furs are attached. A metal glass with a lattice bottom is inserted into the case (not on all models), and there is space for ash between the bottom of the glass and the bottom of the case. Materials that form thick smoke during smoldering (rotten wood, dried horse manure) are placed in a glass. Just dry wood can produce smoke with sparks, so the choice of most beekeepers is the rotten sands. Smoker's furs are made of two plates covered with a dense material (usually faux leather ) and connected by a hinge . Fur plates are made of wood, less often of metal (such a smoke is inconvenient to use, because the plates are heated due to the thermal conductivity of the metal). In the lower part of the fume and bellows housing there are coaxial holes through which air from the bellows enters the housing.
After work, the smoker is cleaned.
Smoke effect on bees
The suppressing effect of smoke on bees has been known to people since ancient times, but a scientific explanation for this was found only in the 20th century . Smoke causes the odorous substances released by the bees to signal a threat to the bee colony, are neutralized. In addition, during smoke, the bees fill the goiter with honey (so that if there is a fire, leave the hive with a supply of honey) - in this state the bee cannot sting, because it cannot bend the filled abdomen at the right angle.
Literature
- Minkov S.G., Plotnikov I.S. - 3rd ed., Revised. and add. - Alma-Ata: Kaynar, 1983.- 336 p. - 50,000 copies.