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Releasing smoke around a Bee Hive has been documented for centuries as people discovered ways to harvest honey from a hive, and until recently, we didn’t know why.
While all of the details are not entirely clear about how a Beekeeper’s smoker calms bees, we do know some things about the reaction, and it’s clear that exposing bees to smoke doesn’t harm them.
What we do know is that the smoke masks the bee’s pheromones – the danger signals released when a bee is scared. A scared bee will release this danger signal to alert the rest of the hive that they need to move from honey production to protection mode.
By using a smoker, the beekeeper blocks this signal from being sent, so that the whole hive doesn’t go into alert mode.
A secondary response when a bee detects smoke is to go into a feeding frenzy. This is a protection mechanism in case the hive is on fire, and the bee doesn’t know when it will get to eat again. This eating distracts the bees from attacking or swarming into the air by keeping them close to the hive.
When we host a hive, can we see how the smoker works?
Yes! We love taking our hosts on tours of the hive. We bring all of the equipment you need to suit up and be protected during the visit.
We know getting that close to the hive isn’t for everyone, but it makes a great experience for a class presentation for a student in your house, or a curious neighbour who would like to see what all the buzz is about.
You’ll get to see the inside of the hive and hold a frame of honeycomb. We can’t make any promises, but we’ll do our best to show you the queen bee, and we’re always happy to answer any questions you have along the way.
While we are as careful as possible, we are still disturbing the home of the bees while collecting honey, so some bees still go into protective mode, but our suits keep the bees away from our skin so they don’t find the opportunity to sting.
Learn more about hosting a hive at your home or business.
Would you like to learn more about a bee smoker? Here’s a helpful page on Wikipedia with more information.
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