Bee smoker modifications???

I am wondering what others may do to their smokers to make them better.
Personally I've made a longer snout on mine that is a heavier gauge material. It is extremely handy when lifting a corner of a heavy hive body or honey super. I have to be careful there is no chance of a box sliding off and causing a huge number of angry bees. Understand this has never happened to me. Nor have I ever dropped a box, frame full of bees, a hive tool to the bottom of a hive box or accidentally killed a queen. Believe that.
What I do is get one corner loose and only one corner. This prevents (um...most of the time) the box from becoming a slider. I get it high enough to put the smoker snout under it and then I can relay without holding a lot of weight to get the rest of the box loose. It does require the box to be lifted higher than normal.
Just asking.
Thanks
Howard

I guess that I have been in the dark for 32 years. I never knew that my smoker needed improvement.

challenger, maybe you should put your smoker down for a while. Pry the boxes apart and shoot some smoke in between them and then put the smoker down again before lifting the box completely off.

I have known persons who have attatched a short peice of copper pipe to the nozzle of the smoker, similar to what you wrote.

I took a soup can and put lots of holes in it. Then I put the material to be burned in the can, drop it in the smoker, and light it. Using the can helps with clean up and keeps the bellow hole (where it goes into the smoker) free and clear of debris; and an easy why to remove the fuel when you are finished with it. I have two smokers I did this to a few years ago....one Mann Lake and the other is a Dadant.

Im with you Adam on that one....Heck, most of the time my smoker never even makes it out of the truck.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by challenger

I am wondering what others may do to their smokers to make them better.

---

I don't do anything. I have seen what others have done and admired them for it. Soldering a piece of copper tubing about 1 inch long to the nozzle. I just never considered that I needed to make any modifications.

What do you do w/ your smoker when you need both hands?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sqkcrk

What do you do w/ your smoker when you need both hands?

---

Use a German bee pipe (imkerpfeife), you can hold it with your mouth!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wildforager

Use a German bee pipe (imkerpfeife), you can hold it with your mouth!

---

Picture of this contraption?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TokerM

Picture of this contraption?

---

Sure, check out this link.... http://www.op-online.de/bilder/2009/...q0U;2fPkyD.jpg

Also there's a good thread about a video series that has beeks using the bee pipe here....
http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...ht=imkerpfeife

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TokerM

Picture of this contraption?

---

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Germ...item1e70977b50

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by buzz abbott

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Germ...item1e70977b50

---

I used something that looked like that back in college, but it had nothing to do with beekeeping!

I finally put a small piece of chain between my smoker and my cork stopper. Got tired of losing the cork or ball of wax.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wildforager

Use a German bee pipe (imkerpfeife), you can hold it with your mouth!

---

How doe that work with a veil on?

Small hole in the front of the veil according to a guy that uses one.

Why would I want to take up another bad habit?

like Clinton, I don't think you inhale.

Not a modification, but I picked up a good tip from Jim Tew at the recent HAS Conference for a smoker plug. A 12 ga. shotgun shell (already spent) is a perfect fit in my smoker. No more wine corks with duct tape.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by buzz abbott

like clinton, i don't think you inhale.

---

lol ! :D :D

A hole in the veil does not sound like a good idea to me. When you are not using the "hookah" you have a hole bees can find their way in. Seems like??

On another note.. What kind of material would you burn in that contraption?? That makes me wonder how calming a device like that would be on the hive. Never get stung again!!!

I would think a slit, rather than a round hole would not provide an easy access for a bee.