About Beeswax

Beeswax is formed by worker bees. They secrete the wax from glands on their abdomen. Wax is initially glass-clear and colorless. It becomes opaque as bees chew the wax to form it into honeycomb. Honeybees use beeswax to build honeycomb cells in which their young are raised, to store honey and pollen for food.  Making wax is energy-intensive for the bees. Researchers estimate that bees consume eight pounds of honey to create one pound of wax. When beekeepers extract the honey, they cut off the wax caps from each honeycomb cell with an uncapping knife.  Beeswax color can vary from nearly white to brown but is most often a shade of yellow.

The properties of beeswax make it a versatile substance. It is used in everything from cosmetics, food packaging, lubricants and polishes, medical uses, and candles.  When used in candles it is highly efficient - burning cleaner, longer, brighter and hotter than candles made of other waxes.  ​When cared for properly 100% beeswax candles are smokeless and dripless.

Processing Beeswax

Beeswax is a byproduct of honey harvesting. The wax caps from the harvest are collected, melted, and filtered to remove impurities. The impurities left behind are bits of pollen, bee bits and other debris which collectively are called slumgum.  Slumgum makes a nice fire starter for campfires. 

I use a solar wax melter to process Second Story wax cappings. The wax melter lets me process large amounts of wax with minimal effort and energy. It is nice to be able to load the melter up before I go to work and then see the results when I get home.