Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Step 8: When lots of smoke rises when you puff, and if the fire doesn't quit when you don't
puff for a minute or so, close the smoker, still puffing occasionally.
Step 9: When lit, the smoker should smolder unattended for many minutes. If it sits idle
for a while without use, puff rapidly a couple of times so the smoldering coals flare up
a bit, producing lots of cool, white smoke to waft over the bees.
Equipment Checklist for Installing Packages
Be prepared: You will always need some of these things, but almost never will you
need all of them. Unless your tool storage is less than 10' (3 m) from your bees,
missing something you need can be anything from a minor inconvenience to a ma-
jor headache. It's always better to have a tool and not need it, than to need it and
have to go somewhere and get it.
• Pliers (regular and needle-nose)
• Hive tools (two)
• Smoker and fuel
• Misting bottle filled with sugar syrup (1:1 ratio, sugar-water)
• Bee suit and veil
• Duct tape
• Gloves
• Extra box(es) to cover the feeder(s)
• Feeder(s): pails or hive top (if hive top, bring a pail of sugar syrup to fill it; if
feeder pails, make sure they are full)
• Wire, or rubber bands (< 10″ [25.4 cm]) (to suspend/hold the queen cage in the
new colony)
• Brick or stone (to weigh down the new colony's cover)
• Entrance reducer (must downsize the entrance to 1″ [2.5 cm])
• A means to secure the entrance reducer (push pins, a small nail, even duct tape)
