As soon as any outsider approaches the hive, an alarm goes off among the guard bees, who will stop at nothing to defend their colony, even if it means sacrificing their own lives. Therefore, beekeepers use a special technique to protect themselves from bee stings, and that is to shoot smoke using a device called a smoker.
Smoke use in beekeeping
Beekeepers use a device called "smoke" that creates smoke by melting different types of fuel. The main fuel of the smoking device is pine needles, egg carton combs and rotten wood. Beekeepers use smoke for two reasons when harvesting honey, which we discuss below:
1. Reduce the smell of alarm pheromones
The predominant method of communication between bees is their sense of smell. Whenever there is an intruder near the hive, bees secrete substances called pheromones. A pheromone is a substance that is secreted by an animal and causes a specific reaction by another individual of the same species. These warning substances cause other bees to be in a defensive state, which prepares them to attack the aggressor. The smoke diffuses the smell of the pheromone and prevents other bees from knowing about the danger.
2. Creating distractions
Bees instinctively perceive smoke as a sign of fire in the forest, and upon seeing the smoke, they decide to leave their current home and search for a new home for their colony. Their natural response to this threat is to store as much honey as possible in their body. Honey bees need about 8 pounds of honey to produce one pound of wax. Therefore, they swallow honey as much as possible, and this makes the bees have fun and stop attacking the foreign aggressor.
Is smoke a risk for bees?
Beekeepers have been using this technique for generations because it has no long-term side effects on bee health. Their pheromone sensitivity will return approximately 10 to 20 minutes after the smoke clears. However, it is better for beekeepers to use special tools and devices for smoke production, because the high temperature can melt the bees' wings. Modern beekeepers use smoke devices and a harmless natural substance called fuel pine cones, wood chips and cartons) are used. Smoke devices neutralize the fire but allow the fuel to burn, which produces smoke at the right temperature.
