Dark brown beeswax

[curly_kate]

DH has been getting me wax from his hives, but this stuff is really dark and kinda sticky. It kind of seems like there would be honey in it, but it's not separating out like it does with the first-round wax. It works for candles and the hand cream I make, but the color is unappealing for items that I'm trying to sell. Do you know why the wax is so dark, and is there any way to separate out what's making it that way? I've already melted it down & strained it thru cheesecloth, but it hasn't made much of a difference.

 

[Marianne]

Calendula, got anything? or other bee peeps?

 

[calendula]

I don't know how you can seperate out the darker color. I have found that beeswax can darken as it ages, though I'm not sure how old the wax is that you are getting? I think color variations can also occur based on the bees' diets. I always see on the packages of beeswax that I get something like "Color variations are common and normal." You could try melting it and pouring it into a tray lined w/ parchment paper, so that it's only 1/4 inch thick or so and leave it in the sun to see if maybe the sun would lighten it. That's all I got.

 

[curly_kate]

Thanks! I googled it, and it looks like it might be age, but it also could be propolis mixed in with the wax, or it could be 'burnt.' DH made a solar wax melter, and I'm sure the temps inside it got up to 200-250* when the air temps were up around 95 a few weeks ago. Looks like wax can burn at over 185. I wish I could find out if it's propolis because it seems like that might be desirable for skin care products.

 

[keljonma]

Propolis is very sticky. Your dh could scrape it off the hives into a canning jar when he is working the hives, if you want pure propolis for skin products.

Is it possible that this is beeswax from the brood frames and not the honey frames? The wax on brood frames get darker faster than the wax on honey frames.

When bees emerge from their cells, they leave behind frass. Even though the housekeeping/nursery bees clean out each cell so the queen can use it for a new egg, not all the frass is removed; and this builds up over time.

Along with propolis there will be bits of pollen, and possibly bee parts in the wax. And as wax ages, it does naturally get darker, just from the many bees walking and living on it.

I save the darker beeswax for us to use. It is great for small blocks of wax for the sewing/quilting box, rubbing against sticking drawers and for making emergency candles.


Just an aside...... my beek mentor changes out the beeswax on all the frames in his hives every 3 years. He said this help prevented disease build up in the hive. It would certainly limit the amount of really dark beeswax being harvested.


ETA: Yes, working with temperatures that are too high will burn the wax and it will show in the end product. So far, I have not found a way to completely clean the wax after it has been exposed to temps too high.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

hey! i'm trying to do this right now.

straining it thru cheesecloth isnt working AT ALL.... what else can i use?? and please dont say "panty hose" because.. you know...well.. its me and not only do i not OWN panty hose....i honestly dont even remember the last time i even had any.

and all my dang wax is dark also and i know i didnt burn it for heavens sakes.

;-)

 

[curly_kate]

Does the wax get sticky when it's burnt? I will have to check with DH to see where the wax came from. It's entirely possible that it is older.

OFG - Mine is still dark, and I don't think there's any way to strain it out. It's really sticky, which is what makes me think there's propolis in it. But honestly, I don't really know what I'm talking about.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

ha, CurlyK, you TOTALLY sound like you know what you're talking about!

i couldnt get the cheesecloth to work any better... oh geez. i'm gonna have to go to the dollar store for pantyhose, aint I?

 

[valmom]

I found that the wax from my brood frames is certainly darker than the wax from the honey frames. I cut off drone brood cells being built and have saved it in the freezer, but it is really dark brown. The beautiful wax is around the honey- which is currently being robbed by the yellow jackets! Until tonight

 

[keljonma]

To my knowledge, burning the wax does not make it sticky. ... but I could be wrong.

Usually the stickiness comes from honey and/or propolis still in the beeswax. Did you rinse it thoroughly until all the stickiness was out of the water?

Have you tried using a stainless fine mesh strainer? It is what I use.