Many of you probably already know that beekeepers use smoke when there is work to be done within the hive, but have you ever wondered what’s the underlying reason behind it? Why do beekeepers across the globe use smoke in those situations and what is the science behind it? Who figured this technique out and are there similar mechanisms that are just as effective as smoke? While almost every beekeeper can explain in a nutshell why the smoking technique is used, the science behind it is very intricate and it demonstrates how nature makes sure that every species on earth has evolved to have the best chances of survival.
Why do beekeepers use smoke? Beekeepers use smoke because smoke calms bees down. This allows beekeepers to open up the hive and accomplish the task at hand, whether it’s an inspection or collecting honey.
But the interesting part is how smoke affects the defensive mechanisms of the honeybees. In particular, how it suppresses one instinct and simultaneously, triggers another, both of which are designed to ensure the preservation of the hive and are crucial for the survival of bees. Let’s simplify it.
Bees predominantly use their sense of smell to communicate. That is how they are capable to transfer the information quickly and accurately within the hive, but also during scouting and honey-production periods. As a result, if you fill the air with smoke that masks other smells, you have practically hindered their primary means of communication.
Smoke Suppresses the Defensive Alarms
Protective bees are always on the lookout for intruders, and their task is to warn the hive of imminent danger. Once the intruder has been spotted, protective bees secrete special chemical compounds, often called alarm pheromones. Isopentyl Acetate (C7H14O2) is a pungent organic odor that quickly spreads through the hive and warns other bees that there is a threat to the community. But, if you fill the air with smoke, it drowns out this smell and the bees are unalarmed to beekeepers; they just don’t see them as a threat.
Injured bees also secrete the same pheromone and this is the reason why there is a severe reaction from the hive if you kill a bee close to it. But this is not the only effect the smoke has on bees. When you open the hive, even if the other bees have been unalarmed to the danger beforehand, opening the hive definitely puts them on notice. How come there is no defensive reaction then?
Well, it has to do with the second defensive mechanism.
Smoke Triggers the Survival Mode in the Hive
You all know the saying; where there’s smoke; there’s fire. Well, it turns out that bees know it as well. When smoke is detected, the logical assumption would be: there is a fire nearby that can, and is likely to, threaten the whole hive. This triggers another response mechanism designed to preserve the hive at all costs. Upon sensing the smoke, bees are frantically getting ready to abandon the hive and search for a new one. It’s a flight response designed to enable them to establish a new home away from the fire. To produce enough wax for a new colony, the bees spend roughly 8-10 times the amount of honey.
Honey that they have to gather from the old home before they evacuate it. This frantic stuffing with honey makes them slow and calm, almost lethargic and it prohibits them from seeing the beekeeper as a threat. Think about it. When your home is on fire, and you spot a burglar in your burning house, do you fight him or do you gather your family, grab the most important stuff from your house and run out of it?
History of Smoking Bees
Using smoke to calm down bees is a technique known by generations of beekeepers. There have been speculations that this technique was used as far back as first written scrolls, but the debate on this is far from over.
It is unclear when this effect was discovered, but lighting a campfire near hives or bringing in a smoldering torch close to a hive is still used today in many countries, most notably Nepal, for collecting honey from wild hives. Beekeepers today most often use smokers made out of tin or other metal composites, but the design is still principally based on a tin burner Moses Quinby invented in the 1880s. Modern smokers use oil in conjunction with raw materials.
Does It Have to Be a Specific Kind of Smoke?
Well, any smoke would have the same effect, probably. As long as it masks the pheromones and it doesn’t contain substances that would trigger bees in a similar fashion, it should work. Isopentyl Acetate reportedly smells similar to bananas and there are reports suggesting burning banana oil sometimes has quite the opposite effect of the intended one. Beekeepers are not actually looking to harm the bees so they utilize specific types of smoke.
The first thing you want to take into consideration is the temperature of the smoke. The bees’ wings are sensitive to heat and high-temperature smoke can melt them. Moreover, you want the bees to recover their sensitivity to pheromones quickly after you finish your task, otherwise you would leave them defenseless against other natural threats.
When using natural materials like wood, pinecones, and similar naturally occurring fuel for your fire, there are no long-term effects on bees and it takes them between 15-30 minutes to regain their sensitivity to pheromones. The best way is to chip down the materials and extinguish the open flames, thus decreasing the temperature of the smoke.
Natural Oils Used for Smoking Bees
Adding natural oils to the smoke enhances its effectiveness in covering the alarm pheromones. But there are also other benefits of adding specific oils. Many essential oils have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, all of which are beneficial to the health of the beehive. There are plenty of options to choose from but amongst the most common ones used are these:
Lemon Grass
This oil mimics the scent queens produce and it effectively attracts worker bees. Lemongrass is frequently used to attract the bees to a specific place or catch a swarm. While this approach is effective for misdirection, it’s not the best oil to use for calming the hive down.
Spearmint
This oil has a strong scent, and it is commonly used in conjunction with other oils, most notably lemongrass while catching swarms. Spearmint is strong enough to be used in many tasks surrounding the hive. General-purpose mixtures commonly include both spearmint and peppermint.
Peppermint
Similar to spearmint, peppermint has a strong scent that efficiently masks alarm pheromones. Its potency and the fact that no other natural pheromones have a similar scent make peppermint an extremely versatile oil for many beekeeping tasks.
Tea Tree
This oil is used in combination with other oils not so much for the pheromones masking, but for mites control. Tea Tree oil in combination with thyme oil has proven to be an effective way to combat varroosis (infection of Varroa destructor mites that can decimate an entire colony).
Thyme
Thyme oil is another effective agent used for smoking bees. It is added more for its potency to kill Varroa mites than for the masking of pheromones. Mites exposed to mixtures including Thyme oil are killed off within minutes.
Alternatives to Smoking Bees
While there are other methods, smoking has proven to be the best one. Experienced beekeepers suggest using a few puffs of smoke at the beginning and proceeding with caution and care. The biggest challenge is avoiding crushing or injuring bees. As long as you can work slowly and carefully, you should be fine with a minimum amount of smoke. The alternatives are using sugar water or a simple water spray bottle. The idea is to either shift the focus away from you, or to trick the bees into thinking that it’s raining outside.
There are also techniques that use CO2 or N2, but I do not recommend them as they tend to harm bees, especially if not used very precisely. Smoke, while not the only solution, is still the best one, as it is based on the natural instincts of bees. It works well for calming the hive down, it can be used as a treatment delivery method in the fight against parasites and fungal infections, and most importantly, it does not leave permanent effects on the colony.
The process of smoking bees is not a complicated one and even the novice in the field of beekeeping can use smoke effectively and without consequences. If you smoke your hive properly, you can rest assured no bees will be harmed and enjoy the sweet taste of honey, guilt-free. But before you start using the smoker, click here for my guide. There are a couple of must-knows before starting.