Smoker fuels

[donniethebeeman]

just want to get feed back on what everyone else use for smoker fuels. i have used cotton rags all my life just as my grandpa and great grandpa did but i have been hearing good things about other types of fuels such as alfalfa hay just wanting some feedback of what other people use.

[rkr]

Burlap coffee bags: I get them from some local coffee roasters

Untreated Baling twine

[Karl]

I usually cut up my old jeans when they get worn out. Easy to get going with a bit of paper and being a hobbyist they last long enough to check my hives before they are gone.

[little55]

I use cedar shavings like you use for pet bedding. The smell is not as bad as some other things. I also use pine cones on occasion.

[beyondthesidewalks]

In my part of the world mesquite trees grow just about everywhere and they're always losing about 20% of their branches. I just have to break them off and break them up into my smoker after lighting a piece of paper. They burn readily, smell great and make a nice cool thick smoke. Doesn't take much to calm the bees. Hardly ever goes out on me when I'm not using it and it's FREE! I've never understood why people buy smoker fuel but admire the people who market it.

[Michael Bush]

Try a search. There have been many very lengthy discussions on this before.

[Buz Green]

I use shredded paper (out of my document shredder) to start the cuttings from my surface planer. Once you get the hang of packing it in just the right amount it will sit and simmer for hours until it runs out of fuel.

[captahab]

I do the Pine needle thing. I have a few trees in my yard. I usually let it dry out for a week and use it then. So far so good. Its easy to start and stays lit. It does burn pretty quick though.

[trapperbob]

Cedar trees seem to shed all the time and here in Nebraska there seems to be no shortage of them. I light a few scrap peices of wood and fill the the smoker the rest of the way with cedar sheddings that I just scoop off the ground and put a little green grass on top to keep the smoke cool and also to block any sparks. I have used burlap,wood pellets used for horse bedding cotton, and brome hay it all works well just make sure what ever is used is not treated with anything or synthetic and it will probably make smoker fuel some things last longer than others but the possibilities are endless.

[USCBeeMan]

Just something I have tried. I use the paper from between the wax foundation that I purchase to start the smoker. It's thin and soaked with wax. Burns fast and hot to start up whatever I put in the smoker. Better than throwing it away.

[MikeJ]

sawdust.
Do people have trouble getting their smoker lit? If so would they be open to purchasing a natural product that only needs one match burns long enough to get the fuel lit and burns hot while burning?

[USCBeeMan]

Saw dust might be a very viable product, but you must know what type of wood the saw dust came. Treated wood's sawdust would probably be deadly when burnt and used a smoke. :( :no: I don't know how much/little mixed with sawdust would be considered non-leathal, but I don't take a chance with my saw dust. :no:

[localwhale]

I cut up old burlap sacks that used to ship fencing parts. A few thin strips, easy to light, and they smoke longer than it takes me to check my 4 hives.

I've also used the cedar shavings and they've worked fairly well. I used dried pine needles to light a smoker in a fictional film I made about bees and they worked better than anything I've seen since. Unfortunately there aren't any pine trees around my house I live in now.

[Mountain Gold]

My favorite is mulched cottonwood bark. Burns longer than burlap with cool, copious amounts of smoke and less soot than Cedar or pine cones.
Just my 2 pennies.

[MikeJ]

Sawdust is from our tablesaw.
Put it in a bucket.

The product I was talking about is shredded birch bark. It takes only a slight flame to ignite and burns very hot for a while. A good starter. We collect it from thinned trees. If anyone thinks it is worth it. I have enough to sell a little. lol of course I guess only people who don't have birch as a native tree would want it.

[splank]

I just got started this year using pine needles but my buddy and I were fooling around a few days ago burning some potato chips and i thought....hmmmmm maybe i should try these in the smoker...... so i have been experimenting with them and they seem to stay lit for a while. I am going to try them on the bees tomorrow. Maybe someone else has had experience with this?

[jjgbee]

Dry cow chips work good. I hate messing with the lighting part so I use a propane torch.

[dsquared]

I've used clean sawdust in the past also. The only down side I've seen is that a strong pump of the bellows can send burning brands out of the smoker. You can burn a hole in your veil if you aren't careful... I didn't know the hole was there until I finished working two more hives. But I did wonder why I could see eggs and just hatched brood so well though!

[garprob]

I just started with bees this year and had a hard time with the smoker. About a month ago I read on this site where somebody used pet litter cedar chips- so I gave it a try. I think somebody mentioned this earlier in this thread as well. It has worked great for me- it stays lit and it's easy to add a handful whenever I need to. And, as a bonus, the smoke smells good, too.

[schmism]

everything from pine needles to wood shavings (from the planer) to straw to commercial smoker fuel that came with the kits i bought.

Id like to use some burlap but i cant get it anywere without haveing to pay for it.

[ChickenChaser]

Pine straw is my usual. Wet today ( i forgot to put it in the dry ) so I used some bailed wheat straw. Once it got going, the smoke was thick and yellowish.

I've got to try the cedar - always loved the smell! :)

Tony

[BMAC]

Im lucky enough to have a town that chips brush along the side of roads. I stop by and pick up their chip piles. So who knows. Sometimes Oak, Cherry, Poplar, etc... Dry it on a tarp in the sun and stuff in trash cans..

I love the free stuff...

[uncletom]

Sumac. The red ends, dried. Start it with shredded paper.

[IndianaHoney]

I buy a 40 lb sack of pine wood pellets from Tractor Supply each year. I fill the smoker about a third and then use a torch to light it. I fill the smoker and it burns all day long.

[jjgbee]

Some smokers do not flow well also. I bought 2 smokers from Mann lake with the replaceable bellows cover. I don't know why these smokers do not draw, but they don't. They just make life miserable. They keep going out. I have used smokers for 30 years and just can't figure this out. I don't keep bees commercial any more, and those smokers sit in my barn. I wouldn't give them away because no one needs that agravation. The point is that it is not always the fuel that is the problem.

[BMAC]

I buy a 40 lb sack of pine wood pellets from Tractor Supply each year. I fill the smoker about a third and then use a torch to light it. I fill the smoker and it burns all day long.


We used the pine pellets in Tx this spring while splitting. My only gripe with the pine pellets is the ones we used started falling to mush as a very short period of time in the smoker. Then the particulates would fall below the breather plate and clo the smoker.

[alpha6]

Dried wild weed or hemp and what's the other name for it... :D Nice cool smoke and really calms down the bees...not that I have ever used it...but I have heard about it. (caution: it could make your bees lazy and give them the munchies to eat all stored honey)

[NDnewbeek]

Someone on the forum (on a previous post on this subject) suggested rolling up strips of cardboard and using the cardboard roll. I tried it and have to say that it works very well. I get the smoker started with shredded paper, the cardboard lights and then I add some cedar mulch. Haven't had the smoker go out on me since. Thanks to whoever was the original poster.

Mike

[CentralPAguy]

I just started using Kitty Litter pellets made with pine. There are no chemicals in it, which was important to me. I just put a handful of pellets in my smoker and then use a Propane Torch to start it and let it burn for a couple of minutes.

I then stuff green plants/grass in the smoker in order to get the smoke. And it really works.

I had about given up on the smoker and actually worked the hives without it at times and that clearly wasn't fun.

I used it tonight and it stayed lit for about 30 minutes, If I needed more time to smoke, then I would use a couple of handfuls of the pellets.

[Tom G. Laury]

The Old Drone, a master beekeeper once on this site has mentioned old fishing nets as a good smoker fuel.
The more scales the better is what I found.

[Hambone]

Dried wild weed or hemp and what's the other name for it... :D Nice cool smoke and really calms down the bees...not that I have ever used it...but I have heard about it. (caution: it could make your bees lazy and give them the munchies to eat all stored honey)

Send me a pound of that and let me try it.

[Hambone]

I have been using dry cow dootie the last few times. Works really good. The neighbors pine needles should be droping soon. That's what I use most of the time.

[Tom G. Laury]

Smokers can be dangerous especially this time of year. A few weeks ago an employee started a fire (no doubt with smoker) that burned up 200 colonies a bunch of pasture (how to make friends) the state guys came out lots of trucks & manpower.
Smoker fuels that are loose like sawdust can blow sparks especially if you tip it. Bee yards should be cleaned of flammable materials, like grass. Take a garden sprayer with water and a little soap as a fire ext. Take a shovel.

Oh I forgot to say: Not MY employees!

[Terry Small, Jr]

Good reminder, Tom. Here in SoCal we all know what WILL happen when a source of ignition gets out of our control. At the very least, I've heard of million dollar stacks of hay going up due to a careless beek.

If a careless beek starts a brush fire, lives could be lost.

You don't have to be paranoid, just aware of what you are doing. Keep your eyes open. Don't get careless with a hot smoker.

[Tom G. Laury]

Fire is a good servant but a bad master.

Love those old sayings they make me look smart.

Actually I have once started a fire. Not too bad...after it was out.

[Hambone]

Oh I forgot to say: Not MY employees!

Man Tom.... I was feeling really bad about this. I still feel bad. That sucks to loose 200 to that, but I don't feel as bad now.

[bhfury]

I've been using Juniper bark. Les Crowder says he has seen a reduction in his mites when he uses it. Nice cool smoke, but does leave a little blowing ash so be careful.

[Terry Small, Jr]

I'm the only one in our company who uses a smoker with a guard (wire screen around the hot box). Everybody else uses company smokers. I bought my own. I love it. The hook molded into the guard allows me to hang it just about anywhere without the hot cylinder touching anything. It's good on the rail of my truck to at least 45 MPH.

[NorthWest_bee_guy]

I use news paper then manila twine a few good size balls and some straw works good.

[Terry Small, Jr]

We had finished up our feeding in the valley for this week. Getting the truck tied down for the trip home. I look over and see a big, unexpected cloud of smoke.

Dumbass co-beek just dumped his smoker out.

[bhfury]

We had finished up our feeding in the valley for this week. Getting the truck tied down for the trip home. I look over and see a big, unexpected cloud of smoke.

Dumbass co-beek just dumped his smoker out.

Did you get the fire out or have to call in the fire department?

[Terry Small, Jr]

We kicked sand on it and got it out. He had just dumped the wad of burlap and walked away, didn't bury it.

[beeman]

We use Alfalfa pellets in our smokers. The very small kind that is used for rabbit feed doesn't work very well but rather the type that is ~1/4" diameter. The smoke is very thick and cool and stays lit all day. It takes a little more time to get lit properly than other fuels but I feel it is well worth it. We start it by lighting a piece of burlap and get it flaming really well while adding pellets. After a few handfuls the flames will go out, leaving dense smoke. We used to put the bottom plates from old smokers on top to keep the pellets from falling out of the smoker but now just cut a piece of screen and out it in the lid. The only real downside to them is that the smoker can become "gummed" up after a year or so but a little scraping with a hive tool can take care of this.

[DutchBee]

Burlap bags.

[oldenglish]

I was told that punk wood was good to use, I have a lot of old growth cedar stumps so started using that. Turns out that old cedar leaves a lot of tar residue in the smoker, it also burns up really fast. After a couple of sessions where I could not get the smoker open, I stopped using it. Now I either use burlap or when I am out at the farm I just pack the smoker with dry grass.

[Almond Grower]

The San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District is eliminating the long time practice of burning almond brush from pruning. For the last several years I have been shredding the brush in the orchard instead of burning it. Huge machines roll through the orchards turning stacked brush into a thin layer of shredded wood on the orchard floor. After drying out it makes great smoker fuel. After a heavy pruning I literally have tons of this stuff.

I also stack brush on the dirt road around the back side of the orchard and have the shredder run down the road. The shredded wood keeps the dust down in the summer and helps keep the road from becoming a muddy mess in the winter.

[Laurence Hope]

Almond Grower;
Sounds like you're making lemonade out of lemons. Great uses of stuff!

I found a new smoker fuel the other day. I went to get my trailer to move some bees, and it was covered with dried mulberry fruit which had fallen from the tree under which it was parked. The berries were very hard. I swept it off into a bucket and tried it for fuel. It was hard to light, but when it got going, a small smoker full burned all morning. I think I will go back and rake up the surrounding area.

[Terry Small, Jr]

We use Alfalfa pellets in our smokers.

Greg over at Chaparral Honey gave me some of those large alfalfa pellets to try. The smoke is awesome and lasts forever. One problem, though... THE SMELL!! :eek::eek::eek::eek:

I thought Greg was messing with me. The smell is horrible, the guys were complaining, I was getting sick. I finally decided the test was over and dumped the thing out. (and buried them, immediately) I couldn't wear that jacket again till I washed it.

The same lighting method works with wood pellets, which I use. They also last forever & put out gobs of smoke. I've never had them flare up. The smell is almost pleasant, like a campfire.

[NasalSponge]

OK...once again......burlap:thumbsup:

[USCBeeMan]

I purchased some of that compressed ground papers last year. Don't have a torch to light it so I quit trying to use it. Crumbled some of it up and used a Bic lighter to get it going and it seems to work well and slow buring. I have at least a part of a bag of ground paper insulation in my work shop. Going to read what's in it. If nothing but paper and no chemicals, I am going to give it a try. It's in the way and without tearing down some of the walls I can't install the insulation anyway.

Bought the stuff at Lowe's. It was real cheap because I purchased the busted bags for like 75% off.

[djhiban12]

i start it with plain paaper and then just put in saw dust or untreated twin and some times just stick i find outside that are nice and dry however i think that the twine works the best

[beeman]

Greg over at Chaparral Honey gave me some of those large alfalfa pellets to try. The smoke is awesome and lasts forever. One problem, though... THE SMELL!!

The same lighting method works with wood pellets, which I use. They also last forever & put out gobs of smoke. I've never had them flare up. The smell is almost pleasant, like a campfire.

Is that why everyone looks at me funny when I pull into the gas station?:D Even had a officer run the plates on the one ton while it was sitting in a parking lot outside a BBQ joint because the pellets do have the suspicious smell of a certain illicit substance I've been told.

I haven't used wood pellets but my father has and he said the smoke was harsher on his lungs whenever he got a whiff of it, but I might try some anyway.

[Cedar Hill]

You're welcome! Been using that method for nearly fifty years. Learned it from a French beekeeper who had filled a goat stall with a supply of smoker "rolls" (made during one winter). Don't know if he had a market for them... Also have used, for nearly as long, the "waxed" paper taken from between the foundation sheets to start the cardboard. Both of them work so well together that smoker lighting contests can be won with the combination esp. when using a Bic flexi-flame lighter.

[Terry Small, Jr]

I use a wad of burlap over the wood pellets to keep them from falling out. The burlap gets toasted & filled with resin from the pellets. The next day I use that burlap to light my smoker. It lights off instantly and with a few pumps I have major flames. Wood pellets are hard to get going, don't stop pumping as you add them. Once they're lit, you're good for the day.

[swamprat]

dry grass sawshavings from sharping ceder fence posts twine the drink trays from McDs then put green grass on top to keep sparks from blowing out and gives you a cooler smoke

[BEES4U]

Road apples work too. (In an emergency)
Some beekeeper use the 2-3" rope like you see around ship yards.
Those of you that are using burlap, rope, and fishing lines might ned to be reminded about what is added for a preservative. It's copper naphthenate for the fishing lines and creosote for the burlap.
:scratch: great carcinogens in a smoke particulate!
I use baled wood shavings that are sold as animal bedding
Ernie

[Terry Small, Jr]

creosote for the burlap.

We only buy food grade burlap, 200 Lb bundles of old coffee bags. The only thing it's treated with is vegetable oil.

[Bighorn06]

This is a great thread. Especially for us NewBees. This has been the hardest part of beekeeping for me so far.

Thanks for the ideas.
Tony

[BEES4U]

The only thing it's treated with is vegetable oil.
__________________
Good morning.
Up a little early today.
Ernie

[Terry Small, Jr]

Woke up, couldn't get back to sleep, thought I'd see what was going on online.

Glad we could help, Tony. Just keep in mind that there are as many opinions as there are beekeepers. Everybody adjusts their methods in a way that works best for them.

[bobbb]

tried wood pellets for first time today. was a real pain to get going, but 6 hour burn on one filling and an hour break in between. this is the way to go.

[Terry Small, Jr]

It took me a little while to figure out how to get wood pellets burning well. Once you've got them going, you are good for the day.

[bobbb]

what method do you use terry

[jlovell]

Whenever I order stuff from Brushy Mountain, it always comes packed in a ton of brown paper. I save the paper as it works really well as smoker fuel. I have two big 25Gal totes full of it from the last two orders I placed. You do have to be careful because once it burns up, it can push out ash if you pump the bellows hard. I try to pack it full enough that there is always still a layer that hasn't burned away still on top when I'm done. This probably wouldn't work well for the commerial guys or anyone who needed a smoker to run all day. Good info for a hobbiest person who needs smoker fuel, this you get and it's free.

[Ski]

I have switched from just pine straw to a pine straw starter for burlap. But today I didn't throw away the bag from the 5 lbs of sugar instead I tore a section off and used it to help light the pine straw and burlap works nice and keeps the bags out of the land fill.

[Terry Small, Jr]

Ok Bob, here's the scoop:

I was getting heat from my boss because it was taking too long to get my smoker going in the morning. My choice was to either find a better way to get the pellets lit, or go back to easy-lighting, stinky, fast burning, flare-up prone burlap.

The first thing is to save the wad of burlap I used the day before as a cap to keep the pellets from falling out. It's toasted and filled with resin from the burning pellets. Nothing can come close to it for getting a smoker lit. Step two is making a burrito with a piece of burlap and a handful or two of wood pellets. Fold & roll it up so the pellets don't fall out. You are going for a size that fits loosely in your smoker. If it's too tight it will restrict air flow and your smoker will go out if you're not pumping it.

Step three, time to get busy. Light yesterdays cap, drop it in, and start pumping till you have strong hot flames shooting out of your smoker. Drop in the burlap burrito. Don't stop pumping. You'll get really heavy smoke at first, then it will drop off, then come back strong as the pellets light off. Don't stop pumping.

Step four involves a little practice. I usually do it about 15 min into the process. The burlap has been giving me smoke for the first few min. of my day, while getting the pellets lit at the same time. When your smoker is well lit and the pellets are burning (you can tell by the smell) walk back to the truck & start adding the days load of pellets. A few handfuls first, get those burning, then fill it up and add a wad of burlap on top so they don't fall out. This wad is tomorrow's starter.

It's not nearly complex as is sounds. Looking over these instructions, it looks like something from NASA. I assure you it's not. I'm just trying to be as accurate as possible. This is a method I've spent a lot of time & energy perfecting. Using it I'm not the first guy hitting the lighter, but I'm always the first guy with full, reliable smoke.

[beeman]

Pellets can't be beat for reliable smoke. Now I know to refer to my burlap wrap as a burrito. :D

[Ishi]

When you live in California anything warped up is a burrito!