# has anyone seen this apisolis smoker gadget? I got an advertisement on FB for it.



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Have you cleaned out the air tube and bellows hole?


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

Lighting a smoker is a art. Witch starts with the fuel you choose. Some of the fuels that I like are pine straw/ long pine needles, rotten wood that is dry, blue jeans, and a self lighting propane torch. I keep a bag of wood shavings in the bee truck for when the main supply gets wet. Haven't used news paper in years.


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## gone2seed (Sep 18, 2011)

My-smokepole said:


> I keep a bag of wood shavings in the bee truck for when the main supply gets wet.


Yeah,but I'm lazy so my wood shavings are hamster bedding from Walmart. I would add that whatever fuel you use it must be well packed in order to remain lit.


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## mike17l (Jun 22, 2012)

It is being marketed as a way to help save the bees, which is a gimmick and dumb. It will sell to the same people that bought flow hives and still have them in a box in the garage. It should have been marketed as a safe alternative to smoking in fire country. That would help get actual beekeepers on board.


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

Michael Palmer said:


> Have you cleaned out the air tube and bellows hole?


yeah i have even tried a new smoker. Same result. I have had some success using wood chips but it puts out quit hot smoke.
What do you use in your smoker?


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

gone2seed said:


> Yeah,but I'm lazy so my wood shavings are hamster bedding from Walmart. I would add that whatever fuel you use it must be well packed in order to remain lit.


I have tried using the wood shavings too...basically i have to leave the top of the smoker open and puff it every 20-30s econds or it goes out.


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

My-smokepole said:


> Lighting a smoker is a art. Witch starts with the fuel you choose. Some of the fuels that I like are pine straw/ long pine needles, rotten wood that is dry, blue jeans, and a self lighting propane torch. I keep a bag of wood shavings in the bee truck for when the main supply gets wet. Haven't used news paper in years.


my best success has been with dry leaves but they burn up real quick.


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

mike17l said:


> It is being marketed as a way to help save the bees, which is a gimmick and dumb. It will sell to the same people that bought flow hives and still have them in a box in the garage. It should have been marketed as a safe alternative to smoking in fire country. That would help get actual beekeepers on board.


I agree the marketing strategy seems stupid. That aside though i wonder if it would actually work and be easier than a traditional smoker. 
The flow hive is a poor comparison since it doesnt REALLY make any aspect of beekeeping easier although your point about the marketing similarities is well taken.


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

I actually found that hardwood chips ( for bbq grill) works well but takes an age to actually get it lit.


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## Jadeguppy (Jul 19, 2017)

I have found that the trick to keeping a smoker going is to be sure the bottom gets lit. With hot embers on the bottom, the top material will slowly smoke to a crisp. Birch bark is awesome! Other than that, oak leave and maybe some pine needles is what I have to work with. I often add a handful of oak leaves between hives and the embers at the bottom start them smoking. Don't focus on the top leaves burning, focus on lighting the material at the bottom.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

aran said:


> What do you use in your smoker?


Second cut hay.


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

aran said:


> I have tried using the wood shavings too...basically i have to leave the top of the smoker open and puff it every 20-30s econds or it goes out.


You aren't getting the wood shavings hot enough.

Fill the smoker maybe 1/8th full of wood shavings. Stick in a lighter (or blow torch) and light a few of the shavings on fire. Gently puff the bellows, increasing in intensity until you literally have flames shooting out the top of the smoker. Add another 1/8th full of wood shavings, and repeat. Once flames are leaping out of the top (and almost gasping for air), add wood shavings, pack it full and tight (not cramming it in though) and give it some puffs. Nice, thick, cool smoke. 

Every time mine goes out without me using it for 20-30 seconds it's because I was in a rush and didn't get the bottom of the chamber hot enough.


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## SmokeyHill (Feb 6, 2018)

Maybe I'm just lucky but I took a piece of dry cardboard and tore it into a long strip about 4" wide. I then rolled it up tightly and lit one end. Once it was burning I tucked it down into the smoker and gave it a few puffs. Then I stuffed a handful of pine needles mixed with sawdust from my wood shop into it and gave it a few more puffs. Then more pine needles and sawdust and closed it up. I gave it a good number of puffs and checked that the smoke was cool. It was. I then sat the smoker on a block outside the shop and left it there for about 20 minutes. When I went back and puffed it I got good smoke after a few puffs.
When I dumped the smoker out most of the fuel was unburned. It probably would have smoldered for a very long time.


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

thanks for the suggestions all...ill give it a shot tomorrow!


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## ericweller (Jan 10, 2013)

I use cedar chips and hardwood pellets in equal amounts. I light with a blowtorch and when the smoker is lit and going, I add a wad of cotton husks to prevent any embers from exiting the smoker. Once the smoker is going, the pellets will keep the smoker going for hours.


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I confess, I cheat. I use those Kwik-Start pellets that I buy from MannLake. 

I don't use them as fuel (though the package suggests I do so - not at 10 cents apiece!). I just use one to get the fuel started and burning well. I use strike-anywhere matches to get a Kwik-Start cooking, then drop it on to a loose bed of cedar wood shavings (Tractor Supply - but see note below about that) that is about 1/3 of the smoker's total volume.

Puff, puff. 

When it is going well I add another 1/3 smoker of shavings, but I push them down lightly.

More puffing to make sure the new fuel is catching. 

Then I fill the whole thing up to the top, get it going, then push it down fairly firmly.

More puffing, and then I close it up and I'm good to go for awhile, with cool white smoke.

I have trained myself that whenever I pause because I stumped about what to do (a fairly frequent occurrence), I reach for the smoker and give it some action while I dither

Some additional notes: Tractor Supply, when I was there yesterday, has changed the texture and particle size of their Cedar Pet Bedding to something much finer, and less curly-shavingy. Not what I want, I think, so I may have to change product.

Cedar shavings generate a lot of creosote which I always procrastinate about scraping out. But when I can no longer close the lid and finally spend the time torching it out, my smoker works like it was new, again. I'm not sure why this is so, but a clean smoker seems to be easier to manage.

When I light the Kwik-start pellet I hold it and the matches down into the upside down lid, which creates a very nice draft for fast, complete lighting of the pellet.

Don't put on nitrile gloves until your smoker is lit - flame from matches or Kwik-Starts is not a good combination with the gloves, You'll an especially nasty burn.

My fave smoker, which is one of those yellow silicone bellows types from MannLake, has both an air inlet and an exhaust point in the bellows which I think makes the action softer, and kind of breathier, rather than blow-your-toupee-off forceful . And the silicone means there's nothing to get spoiled if it gets rained on. 

PSA: A metal trash can (with a tight lid) or ammo box to store your smoker in when not in use is a smart thing to have. Plus when you get big enough to move between yards, you can haul your lit smoker around in it, like a pro. When I saw the fire in my apiary last year, the very first thing I thought of was: "Did I leave my smoker there yesterday?" I had not, it was stone cold and in its trash can, but I can't imagine the guilt I would feel if I set my bees on fire, or burnt down one of my barns.

Nancy


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Here's a link to the you tube video on it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuVwNZ-ff0&vl=en

And here's a link to his fund raising page, which seems to be the only other source of information.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/apisolis-naturally-active-security-furniture#/


Essentially it uses a battery powered heat source to vaporise his "natural" liquid fuel source into smoke, which comes out at 95 degrees and is therefore more "respectful" of the bees. The battery has to be recharged via a usb port.

There is some discussion about how bad smoke is, supposedly emitting toxic chemicals, whereas his smoke is supposedly better because it is "natural". I don't like this kind of advertising because 1. no science or any evidence at all is quoted, and 2. most beekeepers use natural ingredients in their smokers anyway ( leaves, wood chips, sacking, etc).

But the big ommision is he does not say if his smoke has the same calming effect on bees that normal smoke does. THAT is the important thing. If I could find that out I may just buy one as it appears to be a safe option in times of high fire risk.

But the advertising is information lite, feel good fuzzy heavy. I'll wait for more info before making a purchase.


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## b2bnz (Apr 5, 2009)

Vaping for bees!!!! What next, but no, this looks like a good idea as long as the alternative 'smoke' is natural and not harmful to the bees and has the same effect as wood smoke, I would like to try it, just not for EUR 85 and a 12 month wait!
Most of the above posts have discussed the lighting and maintenance of the smoker to keep it alight.
My method is to drill a 10mm hole in the smoker body just above the fire grate, fashion a small piece of this metal into a closure (beer can is good, drink beer first) and fix with a self tapping screw. You load your smoker with the material of choice into the smoker, and with a small blow torch from the local hardware shop, light the material through the hole. Lighting the material from the bottom gives you a supply of cool smoke filtered through the material above, especially if you have a handful of green grass 
at the top of the smoker fuel, and if the smoker goes out, it is only a one handed operation to relight the smoker without having to open it up. Priceless.
But I would like a one of these new vapers as well!


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## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

It your taking more than a minute to get your smoker going you're screwing around with it too much. 

First, get a self lighting propane torch. They aren't expensive. Leave the BBQ lighter in the house. Roll up a 2" wide strip of cardboard and put it in the bottom of your smoker. You aren't looking to pack it tight but you want to mostly fill the bottom. It'll unroll a little bit, leaving you space to shove a self lighting torch tip between the layers. Fill it up 3/4 with wood shavings (not sawdust) or dry pine needles. Unscented hamster bedding works fine and it's cheap. Shove the tip of the torch down deep in the now fueled smoker. Push it almost all the way to the bottom and pull the trigger for a couple of seconds. Smoker will be lit. Puff it five or six times. You don't have to see flames. In fact it's better that you don't. Flames consume fuel and make hot smoke. Top of the smoker with another handful of wood shavings. Grab a big handful of green grass or alfalfa, wad it up and stuff it loosely into the cone to cool the smoke so you don't burn wings. close it up and puff it a few more times and get to work.


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## b2bnz (Apr 5, 2009)

Hi JC,
Drilling the hole and using a blow torch, as explained above, is even quicker than a minute and a lot easier. The smoker material does not matter, so your rolled up cardboard is acceptable, although it does contain a lot of chemical glues!!! Might not be too good for the bees! Lighting from the bottom of the smoker material is also good to get clean cool smoke.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

" But the advertising is information lite, feel good fuzzy heavy. I'll wait for more info before making a purchase. "

Well spoken, Oldtimer . It looks well designed but would love to see it work before spending any money


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

aran said:


> thanks for the suggestions all...ill give it a shot tomorrow!


Let me ask, what brand of smoker do you have? I've gone through an uncountable number of different smokers over the years. Some, I just couldn't keep going. Once I got so pissed at a smoker that I couldn't keep lit that I put it not the ground and ran it over with my truck. Then, backed up and ran over it again. Done! 

Get a Dadant. Done!


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

Oldtimer said:


> Here's a link to the you tube video on it
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuVwNZ-ff0&vl=en
> 
> And here's a link to his fund raising page, which seems to be the only other source of information.
> ...


perfect assessment!


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

Michael Palmer said:


> Let me ask, what brand of smoker do you have? I've gone through an uncountable number of different smokers over the years. Some, I just couldn't keep going. Once I got so pissed at a smoker that I couldn't keep lit that I put it not the ground and ran it over with my truck. Then, backed up and ran over it again. Done!
> 
> Get a Dadant. Done!


MP i have one from mannlake. Think it was about $25.
Ill order the dadant one. I tried all the tricks this morning and again the **** thing wont stay lit.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Well, you know what I would do.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)




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## robirot (Mar 26, 2017)

I have a lot of different smokers, all of them work propper.
As fuel i use wood pellets, best thing you can have. Good airstream. Just keep it in a dry and good ventilated space.
With pet bedding i made bad experience (mine is propably pine) in the packaging it is still quite wet and has to dry first or you need to set a lot in the beginning to have enough temperature to dry the unburned fuel, also it has to be pumped quite often since it has lot less of the chimney effect.

For lightning i like to use a blow torch, light it for a couple seconds, then give about 3 puffs and then put on the veil and grab my tools, fill up the smoker and pump until you reach the first hive, all good from there, but last year i got a couple blocks of old smoker starter blocks, it's basically a block of wood shavings soaked in pottasium nitrate and pressed. They even wirk better, light drop in, fill up and grab your tolls and veil, puff until you reach the first hive and the smoker is good to go.

If you don't want to use the pellets, the best fuel is dry dead wood.


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## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

Just going into my third year and I am still experimenting on different fuels. Odd thing is I can use the same fuel and lighting technique and sometimes it will stay lit just fine and sometimes it won't. Frustrating. Before I run over my cheapo smoker with my truck (not 2 but 4 times) I want to try adding some rotted wood. For those who use this, can I assume you mean dry rotted "punky" wood, or can you use it if its damp? J


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## Kamon A. Reynolds (Apr 15, 2012)

Michael Palmer said:


> Let me ask, what brand of smoker do you have? I've gone through an uncountable number of different smokers over the years. Some, I just couldn't keep going. Once I got so pissed at a smoker that I couldn't keep lit that I put it not the ground and ran it over with my truck. Then, backed up and ran over it again. Done!
> 
> Get a Dadant. Done!


True words. Those Dadant smokers are the only ones that work great for me everytime.


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## TLove (Apr 25, 2018)

Something similar to a vaporizer would be a nebulizer. It puts out a cool cloud of very fine particles. I don’t know what you would put in it to have a calming effect on bees though. The ultra sonic nebs are battery powered and don’t require an air source. They also have a finer particle size compared to the traditional nebulizers.


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

Michael Palmer said:


> Let me ask, what brand of smoker do you have? I've gone through an uncountable number of different smokers over the years. Some, I just couldn't keep going. Once I got so pissed at a smoker that I couldn't keep lit that I put it not the ground and ran it over with my truck. Then, backed up and ran over it again. Done!
> 
> Get a Dadant. Done!


have the dadant smoker on the way. I also picked up some burlap roll and smoker wood pellets from dadant website and got a new propane blow torch from homedepot.
HOPEFULLY now the smoker issues will be gone /improved.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

OK you got burlap, use it right and your problems are gone. A common mistake with burlap is people don't put enough in the smoker, so do it like this. Roll up the burlap into a roll that fits neatly into the Dadant and fills the whole thing. The roll should not be too tight, and not too loose. Light the bottom with your torch and get it burning well before putting in the smoker. Give some good puffs immediately to get it really going. The first few minutes before the combustion area of the smoker heats up keep giving it regular puffs. You are now ready for several hours of quality smoke on demand.

And - when finished the bees, leave the burlap in the smoker but jam a wad of grass into the top hole in the smoker where the smoke comes out. This will smother the smoker and it will go out, but will have a nice bit of black stuff bottom of the burlap which is easy as to light next time you use the smoker.

Once the burlap is burned down to near nothing, just put a new burlap roll into the smoker on top of the smouldering remains of the old roll, and let the smoking continue. Easy


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

And remember something about burlap...you may think the fire is out. It isn't! Plug the smoker and keep it in a fire proof container.


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## Jeff L (Dec 13, 2016)

I use alfalfa pellets, kind of a PITA to get going sometimes. They smell nice and sweet when smoldering. I usually fill the last 1/3 of the smoker with a big wad of dried grass to hold the pellets in when you tip the smoker.


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

Michael Palmer said:


> And remember something about burlap...you may think the fire is out. It isn't! Plug the smoker and keep it in a fire proof container.


have to wait now probably a week or so for the dadant package to arrive. But i will keep this in mind for sure. I tend to leave my smoker on the concrete beside my equipment shed after i use it until the following morning because im a little paranoid about unwanted fires.


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## Dan the bee guy (Jun 18, 2015)

Michael Palmer said:


> Well, you know what I would do.


I've got one that you can put some tire tracks on I just want to see someone enjoy smashing it if I do it I'll just be pissed.


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## pezdaddy (Apr 15, 2016)

I swear by using burlap. Best thing I’ve ever used. Throw in some pine shavings or pine cones and I’m good to go. Pine shavings tend to burn fast though, but good for those quick inspections. 

Also, if you’ve got a coffee roaster in the area, you can probably get all the free burlap bags you want. All food grade.


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## Hillbillybees (Mar 3, 2016)

One thing we cant stand is employees running back to the truck to start their smoker. We dont have that problem anymore. We light them in the morning and many times they last till lunch.

We start with a small wad of pine needles. Puff it till you got flames shooting out the top real good. Add more pine needles. Push them down tight till you have smoke only. Puff it and keep the smoke coming. Add alfalfa rabbit pellets to within an inch of the top. Put more pine needles on top to keep the pellets from falling out when you tip it sideways. Keep puffing a couple minutes. On small smokers this will last you a couple hours. Still need more just pull the top pine and add more pellets and put pine back in. 

Tall smokers we get between 3 and 4 hours out of one load. It doesn't need to be puffed to keep it going once the pellets have started. We leave them sitting for an hour sometimes and they don't go out.

Rabbit pellets cost about $10.00 for a 40 pound bag. Horse alfalfa pellets works well too. Nice cool smoke. A bag lasts a long time.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

pezdaddy said:


> Also, if you’ve got a coffee roaster in the area, you can probably get all the free burlap bags you want. All food grade.


Some of the burlap bags now have polyester woven in them .........just an fyi......


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## pezdaddy (Apr 15, 2016)

snl said:


> pezdaddy said:
> 
> 
> > Also, if you’ve got a coffee roaster in the area, you can probably get all the free burlap bags you want. All food grade.
> ...


I didn’t know this, thanks for the heads up.


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## Kathleen Bourn (Oct 31, 2014)

For the most part I have DITCHED MY SMOKER. Here's why.

I run some top bar hives and when I first started I saw videos on how to get the bees to go back into the hive in order to put the bars back.
Some used a spray bottle. With a little more research I found that folks were using a regular spray bottle with water and a couple drops of scented oil. 
I started using 2 or 3 drops of spearmint oil in the water. For me IT WORKS GREAT. I used it on the top bars and now I use it on my Langs too.
I use it like a smoker. I spay a couple sprays when I lift the cover (I have screened inner covers). I wait a 30 sec. or so. Then I spritz them when I either want them to calm down or move. 

I only get the smoker going if I'm really tearing hive apart for some reason or I'm dealing with a "Gangster Hive" . (and every time I use a smoker I remember what a pain it is)

The *apisolis vaporizer* seams to work on the same idea that you're trying to mask the alarm scent. For me the spray bottle and a bottle of essential oil is A LOT CHEAPER.

I have to tell you that I don't miss having to get fuel, light the smoker, keep the smoker lit, worry about burning something, keep the smoke out of my face while I'm working, putting out the smoker safely, and then keeping it clean. 

Other advantages to the spray bottle is that you have water handy to clean your gloves or hands with. And it's also very nice to spritz yourself through the veil on those hot bee yard days.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. You can try other scents just DON'T USE BANANA OR LEMON. I also keep two in my bee buggy in case one stops working. I do spring for the $5 bottles that are meant for chemical cleaning (gray bottle) because I like the grip on them.


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

so with the new dadant smoker and the burlap no problems AT ALL keeping the smoker going.
I will try with the wood pellets added also.

What a difference having the dadant smoker and burlap has made!!!! thanks all


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## Soupy944 (Jun 4, 2010)

Michael Palmer said:


> Second cut hay.


My hives are next to a barn where hay is stored. Its everywhere and is possibly the best fuel i have found. You can pack it tight and it will burn for quite a while


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## jd101k2000 (10 mo ago)

aran said:


> yeah i have even tried a new smoker. Same result. I have had some success using wood chips but it puts out quit hot smoke.
> What do you use in your smoker?


I use corrugated cardboard to get it going. Then add wood shavings (hamster bedding). When that is going nicely, add 100% wood-based cat litter (it is just wood pellets). Really keeps it going a long time. Test the smoke by putting your hand near the spout and puffing. If it is cool smoke, you are ready to go. If it gets too hot, add grass onto the top. This will cool the smoke. 

This normally keeps going for a good hour. Top up with the cat litter if necessary.

I normally start ignition (of the cardboard) with a butane torch. However, I have found that a weed killer (heat gun on a stick) is brilliant if you are close to an electricity supply.


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## JustBees (Sep 7, 2021)

Who told you the bees like essential oils? Essential to who? The name is dripping with unfounded marketspeak.
Smoke goes away, "essential" oils will build up.

You can spray the bugs with sugar water and do the same I'll bet.
I'll use a smoker when needed, I actually have sweet water spray and plain water spray in my bee tote as well, so I have all the angles covered.

I saw Randy M spray Honey B Gone in his smoker....!


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