Last year Nova Scotia saw the largest recorded wildfires in
its history. The wildfires in Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne,
Yarmouth counties caused devastation to beekeepers either by decimating entire
apiaries or by destroying food sources for bees. Last year’s wildfires also
raised serious concerns about using smokers during extreme drought. The reality
is that with changing weather patterns we are likely to experience severe
drought in Atlantic Canada once again, and we need to have options to the
traditional smoker. This week’s blog will discuss two different options for
beekeepers when drought conditions persist.
Alternative Smokers
On an exceptionally dry and hot day beekeepers must be
cautious about using their smoker when working with bees. Last year, drought
conditions persisted for weeks, and this raised a new level of concern
regarding the safe use of smokers during an extreme drought. Since it is not a
safe option to use a smoker during drought conditions, beekeepers found
themselves looking for alternative products to calm their bees when working
through a hive. ATTTA decided to test a couple of products on the market
currently in order to suggest some alternatives to a smoker under drought
conditions. Below are some of the initial thoughts on these products but the
team would need to try the suggested products many more times, and during
varying weather conditions and beekeeping activities, to have a better
understanding of the effectiveness of each product to calm bees, prevent stings
and allow beekeepers to work through a hive.
One alternative beekeepers have available to them is the
Apisolis Vaporizer. This is a flameless electronic vaporizer, which works much
like a traditional smoker but produces temperature regulated vapour formulated
with essential oils to calm bees. The composition of solution used in the
vaporizer is propylene glycol and active ingredients present in essential oils.
The use of the product is safe for human health, safe for use on bees and
non-hazardous to the environment. The company Apisolis was founded in France by
Damien Albrespy. The device is easy to use and is an alternative to calm bees
during drought conditions. An advantage of this electronic vaporizer, over a
traditional smoker, is that assuming it is fully charged and has been filled
with the required Native vapour fluid, the device will not “go out” while
beekeeping – unlike the traditional smoker that goes out from time to time.
That being said, the battery of the vaporizer does need to be recharged on a
regular basis, and, unlike a smoker, if the battery dies in the apiary there is
no quick way to restart the vaporizer. Like a smoker, caution must be taken to
not over use the vaporizer on the bees. Providing a periodic puff of the vapour
should suffice to keep the bees calm. The device is unlikely to be a permanent
replacement for the traditional smoker, as its ability to calm and move bees is
seemingly not as effective as smoke. So, it is advised to always bring a
traditional smoker to each apiary just in case the bees are more defensive than
anticipated. During drought conditions, the Apisolis Vaporizer is an option to
work bees safely. The device can be purchased from Dancing Bee Equipment for
$299.95 plus tax and shipping, along with 50 other global distributers all
listed on the Apisolis website (https://apisolis.com/en).
A second option for beekeepers is the product Apimil® (https://apimil.com/). This is a liquid product
that is diluted in water and used as a spray. The composition of the product is
mainly compounds extracted from essential oils and saccharides. The product is
prepared as a 10% solution and can be sprayed directly on the colony when
working through the hives. The product contains a combination of essential oils
that work to calm honey bees and is a safe option during drought conditions. Andermatt
Canada has also done preliminary research using Apimil® suggesting that the
product may be used to
significantly improve the success rate of introducing honey bee queens, prevent
robbing and improve the success rate of combining colonies. Apimil®
does not move bees around as a traditional smoker would, but rather helps
mitigate defensive behaviour of bees when working through the hive. Caution
must be taken to not over use the product in the colony. Periodically mist the
bees with the solution and watch to see if their behaviour changes. The product
can be purchased from Andermatt Canada for $30.00/250 mL. Again, the product is unlikely to be a
permanent replacement for the traditional smoker, and during each visit to the
apiary a traditional smoker should be brought for back up. Additionally, if new
to beekeeping, it would be advisable to try a traditional smoker before any of
the alternatives.
If ever in need of a quick alternative smoker, a third
option is a spray bottle containing 1:1 sugar: water. The solution can be
sprayed directly on tops of frames and bees when opening the hive, which should
keep them occupied with grooming and feeding. The sugar water solution should
be used sparingly while working through the hive, as the intention is not to
have bees feeding on sugar water during the summer months when there is a
nectar flow on. With all alternative smokers, they may not suffice for aggressive
colonies.
If opting to use a traditional smoker during the summer months,
use extreme caution. Avoid placing the smoker directly on grass or vegetation,
and instead try hooking it onto the side of hives or place it on a fireproof
surface. Put green grass into the spout of the smoker to prevent emitting
sparks and travel with at least a few liters of water to each bee yard.
Finally, make sure the smoker is completely out when finished beekeeping. This
can be done by either pouring water into the smoker until it is extinguished or
dumping the ashes into a metal container with water. Travel with the smoker and
any ashes in a fire proof container.
For any questions or advice on alternative smokers contact
the ATTTA team.