Hello new beek

[RatedMark]

I haven't given him a name, but maybe Ash or Noir to go with his color. He's pretty dang friendly, he comes up to the top of the water to check what's going on and allows me to pick him up pretty quickly. Got 3 red ear sliders in the tank and 1 western pond turtle. Those turtles run as soon as they see me.

[Bob Wilson]

And learn the Altmiller smoking method. Puff two or three puffs of some cool smoke right close into the entrance hole. Wait 10 minutes. Puff a second time. Wait 30 seconds, then open the hive and begin your inspection, smoking as needed. It really calms the bees more. HiNT: pack your smoker really full/tight so you don't run out in the middle of inspection like you did. Once it is lit well, you can even put put in damp/wet material and it will smoke longer.

[Seeb]

And learn the Altmiller smoking method

Thats a new one for me to Bob, I'll give it a try

He's a hybrid red ear slider mixed with a local western pond turtle

that is very cool, just sent your pic to a friend of mine that has a small goldfish pond

[guitarstitch]

And learn the Altmiller smoking method

Thats a new one for me to Bob, I'll give it a try

I've been using it since Beefest.  It seems to work quite well.  I find myself smoking the bees a lot less (if at all) during the inspection, and their overall disposition is quite calm.

[Bob Wilson]

When I say Jim Atlmiller smoking, I mean the Sawdstmakr method. Like Stich, I found I was not smoking early enough before inspection (when possible), nor packing my smoker tight enough. The most obvious thing I learned from Jim was using the hive tool to pack in material, instead of my singed fingers. I didn't say anything then, but that moment made me feel dumb.

[RatedMark]

I saw a YouTube video where someone was using bedding for rabbits and hamster for smoking. I've got a lot of dead leaves but they produce some funky smelling smoke. I bought a new bottom board for the hive and am gonna swap that in pretty soon. I wanted a screen and sticky board to start working on mite counts.

[Bob Wilson]

Use pine needles. Rake up a bag of dry brown ones from a friend's yard. It makes a good, cool smoke.

[guitarstitch]

Use pine needles. Rake up a bag of dry brown ones from a friend's yard. It makes a good, cool smoke.

Pine needles are free and extremely effective for smoker fuel.  I've tried several things from cotton to pellets and wood shavings, but nothing beats the simplicity of pine needles.  You want to use dry brown for starting, but you can also use green pine needles for slower burn and added moisture, which keeps the temperature down.  Treat it like a campfire.  Build a small fire in the can, get a coal going with enough heat to keep things rolling, then choke out the oxygen on the top of the fuel stack with tightly packed fuel.

[BeeMaster2]

I find the best way to get nothing but pine needles is to find a broken branch or a dead tree that still has brown needles on it and collect them. It is fast and you don?t end up with leaves and sticker branches in your pine needles.
Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

When I use to use pine needles, I did as Bob, I RAKED them up in a small pile and placed them in a sealed bucket. I did not mind an occasional pine cone as I found they would burn and smoke also lol

Phillip Hall

[Bob Wilson]

Jim. Once you are above the gnat line (Fla and south Ga), it seems the sandspurs and stickers tend to dissappear from lawns and open places. We invite you to move northward into God's green country. 

[Seeb]

When I say Jim Atlmiller smoking, I mean the Sawdstmakr method

I predict the Altmiller smoking method will now be a part of bee keeping history

I find the best way to get nothing but pine needles is to find a broken branch or a dead tree that still has brown needles on it and collect them

great idea!

[RatedMark]

I still got my dead xmas tree. Was gonna throw it in my garden, guess ill use it for smoke. I don't live super close to the mountains, I'm trying to think of some pine needles locally I can grab.

[Seeb]

I wonder if cedar/fir might burn too hot. I know it likes to pop embers everywhere when I put them in the burn pile