Cotton Smoker Fuel

01 · ITS JOB

A smoker asks for two different things, and this one starts it

Lighting and lasting are not the same task, and hardly any fuel does both well. A loose, airy material like cotton takes the flame and makes embers straight away, but it burns through fast; a pellet or a compact granule lasts for hours and in exchange will not start from a match — you put the flame on top, the outer layer catches, and it goes out. Hence the arrangement that works in the firebox: cotton at the bottom until there are real embers, and the long-burning fuel on top. If your visit is half an hour and two hives, this alone is plenty and you skip the step.

02 · LIGHTING IT

Do not pack it, and work the bellows until the flame is gone

Put a loose handful in the bottom, without compressing it — air has to get through — and light it at several points. Work the bellows steadily until the flame disappears and stable embers remain, and only then add more material, a little at a time. The usual mistake is to fill and press the firebox before there are embers: there is no draught and it dies in two minutes. Check the smoke on the back of your hand before aiming it at the entrance: it should come out warm and white, not scorching — hot smoke does not calm a colony, it stirs it up.

03 · ASH AND SAFETY

It leaves ash, and that ash blocks the air inlet

A plant fibre that burns fast leaves debris in the bottom: that is normal and not a fault, but it is worth knowing what to do with it. Empty the smoker cold and clear the air inlet before the next visit, because a firebox with a blocked bottom will not draw however hard you pump. And two things that never go inside: plastics, synthetic fabrics, treated wood, glues or accelerants. In dry weather, carry the smoker in a metal container and make sure at the end that no ember is still alive.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is not a fuel for a full day: with twenty hives ahead of you, count on refilling several times or on carrying a granule or pellet as well, to sit on top of its embers. Store it dry and away from the hot smoker.