Stainless steel bee smoker with guard

01 · THE GUARD AND THE HOOK

Hold it anywhere, keep it to hand

The body of a working smoker goes past 200 °C. The wrap-around guard keeps your hand off the metal, so you can hold it wherever suits instead of hunting for the cool spot. And the front lug solves the other classic problem: hanging it on the edge of the hive while you work, in sight and not rolling around on the ground.

02 · INSIDE

Grate, brass cone and draw

It has a galvanised inner grate that keeps the embers off the bottom and lets air in from below — without it, the fuel smothers in its own ash. The air cone is brass, and hinge, handle and bellows joint are galvanised sheet as well. The bellows measures 19.5 × 12.8 cm, with a PVC edge and synthetic leather, which stands propolis and weather better than hide.

03 · THE STAINLESS

It will not rust, but it needs cleaning inside

Polished 304-BA does not rust or pit, and outside it looks after itself. What does build up is the tar inside, which narrows the spout and eventually kills the draw: scrape it cold every few outings. That is the only real difference between a smoker that lasts years and one abandoned after two seasons.

04 · IF YOU WORK IN FIRE COUNTRY

This one has no spark arrestor

This model has a protective guard but no spark-arrestor system. If your apiary is in dry country, with long grass or in fire season, look at the model with the double spark arrestor — a shield at the base and a mesh at the spout — which is built for exactly that. For everything else, this one does the job and weighs less.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

10 cm in diameter, an 18 cm body and 27 cm overall, weighing 980 g. It does not include fuel or tinder.