There are a handful of tools that are essential for beekeepers to be successful. One of those items is a bee smoker. With a smoker, beekeepers can tame bees and keep them calm during hive interactions.
Honeybees communicate through smell. They release pheromones to communicate a message to one another. When an intruder is near the hive, bees will release an alarm pheromone that will cause the rest of the bees to react defensively. This alarm will make the other bees ready to stage an attack against the threat that is approaching them. A bee smoker masks the pheromone, leaving bees unaware of any potential threat. Without their sense of smell, other bees won’t know of any danger and therefore, they stay calm.
When you open the hive, you’ll notice a lot of bees eating the honey that they stored in the combs. A bee smoker also simulates a forest fire for honeybees. That’s because as soon as bees come into contact with smoke, they go into survival mode. They think their surroundings are on fire so they begin preparations to leave the hive. They eat up as much honey as they can so they can save it from the flames and move it to their new home. This not only distracts bees from beekeepers, but full stomachs also make bees happy. When a bee has a belly full of honey, their abdomens expand and they can’t sting predators.
Smoke is widely used when working with honeybees because it effectively calms bees down by making them seemingly drowsy. Using a smoker minimizes the chances of stinging and makes it a safer environment for the beekeeper. For more information on how smokers affect bees and their health, see our article Is Smoking Bees Bad.
Smokers have been used for generations and continue to be a necessity for a majority of beekeepers. Over the years, several modifications have been added that give you the smoker design that we have today. With the various types of smokers on the market, you can be sure to find the right unit for your beekeeping endeavors. And lucky for you, the research has already been done!
In this article, we will discuss our list of the 12 best bee smokers on the market today. These bee smokers come with high recommendations from customers do to their effectiveness, durability, and attention to budget limitations.