The quest for fire began in the time of the caveman. My quest for fire began in my first year of beekeeping. In Boy Scouts, you learn how to make a fire with two items or something like that. Unfortunately, I didn't go to Boy Scouts; consequently, I am lousy at starting fires. Well, I may be ok at starting them, but I can't seem to make fires that last a long time. It always amazed me how my beekeeping mentor Dale could get a fire started that could last all day inside a few minutes and I, on the other hand, fuss way too much over getting everything in just right the right order for making long-lasting smoke.
I have to admit I still struggle with this today.
When we were researching what to do with beeswax, I learned about these beautiful pine cone DIY fire starters. These homemade fire starters were positioned as holiday gifts, complete with colored wax and sparkles. Here, I am suggesting a far more utilitarian use for these cute little pine cones and that is as homemade fire starters for your favorite beekeeper to use in his/her smoker.
The best place to start in making homemade fire-starters is by gathering your supplies; here's a list:
- Pine Cones
- Beeswax
- Old burlap bag
- Candlewick material or natural fiber twine
- Old muffin tin
- Brown paper (to protect whatever surface you are working on)
- Double boiler
This project took us about 30-45 minutes to complete, and we had fun.
Make Homemade Fire Starters for your favorite beekeeper
As you experiment with this project, you will find ways to do these fire-starters that may suit you better than our technique here. However you do it, they work great in your firepit and your beekeeper's smoker. No need to use chemical fluids or to scrounge around for tiny twigs when you have these on hand!
We had a lot of fun doing this, and cleanup was a breeze. If you have any tips or additions that you'd like to add to this project, please feel free to share them in the comments.
