Beeswax

Last weekend I went to our local beekeepers meeting, it's the first one I've ever been to, I was intrigued by the subject 'beeswax and candle making' and I'm glad I went along! As a beekeeper you end up with quite a lot of beeswax, you get it from old frames, cappings from honey and scrapings as you clean the hive. You can clean this by using a solar wax extractor, you put the wax through a few times and the wax separates from the dirt. I've had a few blocks sitting around for a while, I made a few lip balms previously but they can be fiddly and difficult to sell on due to license requirements, although they do make great gifts! Candles seem like a genius idea.

Wax Candles

At the meeting there were lots of different candle moulds, they can be expensive but it was a good opportunity to see them up close and to see the quality. We also made luminaires which are wax bowls to hold tea lights.

Variety of candles cooling down after being filled with wax and the luminaires hardening (they are the balloons, you fill them with water and dip them in molten wax)

I also got a great idea to make bees wax wraps- an alternative to clingfilm or tinfoil. They are wax sealed cotton cloths which can be washed and they are far more environmentally friendly than clingfilm or tinfoil. You can use them to wrap most food stuffs keeping them fresh, including your sandwiches, and they last around a year! I'm hoping to make some of these soon and will let you know how I get on. It's nice to find something useful as you never want beeswax to go to waste, especially when the girls spend so much time making such a versatile product and it's completely natural!

The luminaire and dipped candle I made, the soap was made by another member which I helped myself to a bar!

If any one knows any other uses for beeswax let me know! I might even make a solar wax extractor this year and make a lot of wax for various projects!

Wax blocks and candles