EFFECT OF DIFFERENT COMBUSTION TREATMENTS OF RICE HUSK MIXTURES WITH SAW DUST ON THE QUALITY OF SMOKING DURING HARVESTING OF HONEY BEES (Apis Mellifera) Dewita Yanna Azarine, Sri Minarti, Eka Nurwahyuni
Universitas Brawijaya
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the duration of smoking, combustion rate, and the number of bees leaving the hive using a smoker device made from briquettes with different treatments: P0 (burlap sack), P1 (unburned rice husk and burned sawdust), P2 (burned rice husk and unburned sawdust), P3 (burned rice husk and burned sawdust), and P4 (unburned rice husk and unburned sawdust). The ANOVA results showed that the smoking duration and the number of bees leaving the hive were highly significant (P<0.01). The longest smoking duration was observed in P0 (27.5 plus/minus 0.36 seconds), while the shortest was in P3 (18 plus/minus 0.21 seconds). The highest combustion rate was also found in P0 (2.1 plus/minus 0.29 g/min), and the lowest in P4 (1.1 plus/minus 0.02 g/min). The longer smoking duration and higher combustion rate in P0 were likely due to the burlap sack^s dense fiber structure, which burned more steadily and maintained smoke production longer than the rice husk and sawdust mixtures. The greatest number of bees leaving the hive was recorded in P1 (3 plus/minus 0.15 bees), because the combination of unburned rice husk and burned sawdust produced a sharper smoke odor that irritated the bees more effectively. In contrast, P3, which used fully burned materials, produced thinner smoke that was less stimulating to the bees. It was concluded that P0 (burlap sack) was the best treatment because it provided the longest smoking duration and highest combustion rate, while P3 showed the lowest results for both variables.
Keywords: Apis Mellifera-Rice husk and sawdust briquette-smoking duration-bees leaving hive
