Smoker Fail |
Care needs to be taken when using any type of smoker fuel.
When beekeepers light smokers many hazards can be around. Gasoline for a weed trimmer or lawn mower, dry grass around the bee yard, combustibles in the back of a vehicle or garage. It is always a good idea before lighting a smoker to look at your surroundings before firing up the smoker. Explosions from gasoline containers or fires from careless use of the smoker can be prevented with some foresight.
- Remove combustibles from surroundings when lighting a smoker.
- Gasoline and gasoline powered equipment have combustible vapors that can collect. Move them a safe distance away and make sure vapors have not collected before striking a match. This also goes when leaving the beeyard. Loading up a vehicle with all of this equipment, if the smoker is still going, vapors can still find an ignition source.
- Have a fire extinguisher readily accessible to put out any possible fire.
- Make sure the smoker is out before leaving it unattended.
- A non combustible metal enclosure for a smoker is a good storage option.