As a beekeeper, I have been working my bees for eleven years without paying good attention to my smoker. I light it on top of beds of pine straw; I set it down amid combustible material on the ground; I am simply ignoring all the possible dangers.
The President of GBA (the Georgia Beekeepers Association) several years ago literally burned up her apiary - hives and everything - from not being careful with her smoker.
Jeff, my son-in-law, was helping me at Tom's house where we light the smoker on top of the pine straw Tom has strewn over his hillside.
I told Jeff about Tom bringing out a GIANT fire extinguisher the last time I had worked the bees there. I mean, look at that photo - it's a conflagration about to happen! But Tom's fire extinguisher is huge and heavy and I can't imagine lugging it about in my hive kit.
So the next time I saw Jeff, he had gotten me a present:
It's a fire extinguisher in a small can - a fabulous thing to have in my hive kit. I will never go to a beehive without it again. So grateful to have a son-in-law looking out for my bee-ing safely.
I hope I never have a reason to try it out, but if I do, like a good Girl Scout, I am now prepared.
