# Bees wax! Lots of bees wax!



## MirandaH (Jan 2, 2014)

I hope I am doing this right, I have never used the app before.

I am in SC with my wonderful hubby and he owns a tree company. While doing a job this morning, he going a HUGE honeybee hive in a tree. Well post pics later. The homeowner's response was "Just get it out of here!"  Hubby had me come to the house and now we have both been sung, multiple times, but we have two garbage bags full of honey and bees wax. Needless to say, the combs are not in their pristine condition anymore for the most part. Can I do anything with it? Anyone have any idea how to get the honey and wax separated?


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 2, 2014)

Found a hive, not going. Forgive the typos. On my phone.


----------



## Susie (Jan 2, 2014)

Start by lining a colander with cheesecloth or using a mesh strainer.  Crush the beeswax either by hand or placing it in the strainer then mashing with the back of a spoon.  Keep adding/mashing til strainer is full.  Set wax aside in a large container that is clean enough to eat out of.  The rest of the honey will drip out over time.  Repeat above until you finish.  Re-strain honey a few times(2-3 depending on clarity) until you get something you are willing to eat.  After a few days, you can repeat with the honey that settles on the bottom from the wax you set aside.  

Once you have all the honey you want to fool with out of the wax(you will never get it all), break up the wax and put into a pot that you are never going to use again for anything but beeswax with half a pot of water on bottom.  Cover and bring to boil, then uncover and simmer til all wax is melted.  Stir while this is melting.  Set in cool place, cover and let harden over night.  In the morning, remove the chunk of wax and scrape the propolis off the bottom(brown and black junk).  Get clean, fresh water and repeat melting, setting aside, scraping until you get NOTHING but clean, pure wax.


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 2, 2014)

Susie, you are awesome!!  Thank you!  There is very limited internet access out here where I am, and the app is the only thing I can get to work right now!!  Off to finish picking out the dead bees!


----------



## dixiedragon (Jan 2, 2014)

I have no advice, but I'm soooo jealous!


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 2, 2014)

I have normal internet for a second, but I am not sure how long I will have it.  

I'll tell you what dixiedragon, if nothing else, we earned it, lol!  We are both stung.  I even got stung on the ear.  I really hated to see them all kicked out of their home and know they will most likely die and that really upsets me, but the tree was already on the ground when he found it and the homeowner wanted it gone and if we didn't do it, he would call someone else who would.  There is just so much of it.  I am feeling a little overwhelmed.  And it's so sticky, but it tastes really good!!    I am so excited! 

The tree is big enough that I can't get my arms around it.  The openings are smaller than the widest part and it goes back about 2 feet on one side and three feet on the other, where we cut it in the middle.


----------



## lizflowers42 (Jan 2, 2014)

Liquid (and non-liquid) gold!  Wow!  You are BRAVE!  I would have been too afraid to go near it, I hate bee stings (but I love bees and honey!)


----------



## dixiedragon (Jan 2, 2014)

OT: If you like fantasy novels and bees, you may enjoy "Chalice" by Robin McKinely. 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0441018742/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
The main character is a bee keeper and uses honey from her hives in her magic.


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 2, 2014)

I don't know how brave I am, but I am obviously braver than I was this morning, because my husband told me that if I wanted it, I had to help, so I jumped in to do so.  Right before we left to come here, I had gotten a pound of bees wax locally, and when he saw what I paid for it, he told me that I was nuts.  Then while we were getting it today, he told me that he comes across hives like this about once every month or two and they just put the trunks through the chipper.  Now I am considering getting a bee suit and a smoker and having him call me every time he comes across one.  Especially if I am going to ruin a pot separating them.  I'm so cheap, I would really like to use it more than once, lol.


----------



## Ancel (Jan 2, 2014)

You lucky lucky brave woman you!!!


----------



## Pepsi Girl (Jan 2, 2014)

Those pictures are so wonderful !  I don't think I could do it.  I would totally wimp out after the first sting!  I say you Go Girl!!


----------



## neeners (Jan 2, 2014)

be careful when mashing around.  make sure there aren't any bee larvaes in there.  we had some comb from a semi wild hive, and there were larvae all throughout the combs.  we just had it in a strainer in a funnel over a jar.  it takes a while but it'll strain out.

 btw, that looks AMAZING.  I'm drooling over the honey you'll be getting.  mmmmmmm


----------



## reinbeau (Jan 2, 2014)

Please, separate out the brood comb from the honey comb.  Do not crush it all together, or you'll ruin the honey.

In the future, it would be good if you could find a local beekeeper who could rescue the hive .  I know it wasn't on purpose, but a feral hive is worth saving for the queen genetics   If you need a referral to a local bee association, you can check this link Beekeeping Association Listing.

I'm a beekeeper and a new soaper, and I believe this is my third post here.  Maybe now that you've had a taste of bees like that you might consider using that suit and smoker for a hive of your own.  Just sayin'!


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 2, 2014)

neeners said:


> be careful when mashing around.  make sure there aren't any bee larvaes in there.  we had some comb from a semi wild hive, and there were larvae all throughout the combs.  we just had it in a strainer in a funnel over a jar.  it takes a while but it'll strain out.
> 
> btw, that looks AMAZING.  I'm drooling over the honey you'll be getting.  mmmmmmm



Yeah, we learned that early. I threw out the pieces that had larvae in it because it wasn't much, so far and I couldn't think of how to get it out without smashing it and the thought of bee guts in the honey makes me kinda sick, lol. 

We are about halfway finished with the first straining and there is SOOOOO much honey. I can't believe it.  And I went to the store and bought some storage containers that we have been putting the mashed up combs in and I am going to have to strain that again because I can see a ton of honey still in the bottom of that too.  Unfortunately, I am 500 miles from home, so I am in my FIL's kitchen and we have taken over the whole thing and it is still just an overwhelming amount.  We are also losing a lot of honey in the garbage bags, because there are dead bees in it and it is just too hard to get out of the bags.  We got as much out of there as we could and then just said screw it and threw out the bags.  If I were home, I would have more patience with it, and I am sad to see how much we are losing, but when you are in someone else's kitchen and no one, including myself, knew we were doing this when we woke up this morning, you try to be as non-invasive as possible and make it as easy for the people who own the house as you can.  We have been working on it non-stop since about noon when my husband cut into the tree and all the bees started coming out.  It is almost 8 PM now.  But I must admit, it took a little while to figure out how to get the combs out in the first place.


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 2, 2014)

reinbeau said:


> Please, separate out the brood comb from the honey comb.  Do not crush it all together, or you'll ruin the honey.
> 
> In the future, it would be good if you could find a local beekeeper who could rescue the hive .  I know it wasn't on purpose, but a feral hive is worth saving for the queen genetics   If you need a referral to a local bee association, you can check this link Beekeeping Association Listing.
> 
> I'm a beekeeper and a new soaper, and I believe this is my third post here.  Maybe now that you've had a taste of bees like that you might consider using that suit and smoker for a hive of your own.  Just sayin'!



I have wanted to be a beekeeper for as long as I can remember.  I especially wanted to have bees when I found out about the problems with the bees dying off.  It really worries me and it broke my heart today that things went the way that they did.  I did try to call around locally to find someone to rescue them before we dove in, but the area that my FIL lives in is VERY rural.  Like I said, the internet is in and out and cell phones don't work for 45 miles from where we are.  I had to go to a neighbor's house to use the phone to try to find help, but everyone told me they wouldn't know who to call.  Even the Sheriff's department. And I just looked at you link and my husband says that the closest one on the list is over 2 hours away.  Do you think they would have come?? 

Thank you so much for the link, tho.  I live in a much more populated area and it looks like there are two places that are close by that I could call when my husband find them in the future.  The reason I have never tried having bees before is because my ex-husband wouldn't let me.  He said it was too dangerous.  He is also very freaked out about the soaping ("Don't soap while the kids are home, you are going to blow up the house!"), because of the lye.  My new husband thinks it is a great idea.  He is a certified arborist and tries his best to save anything he can when he comes across it while trimming and taking down dead trees. We have raised more squirrels than I can count and released them into the wild when they were old enough.   He also tries to talk homeowners out of taking down trees that are not dead and instead just trimming them to make them look better, and take out the dead wood and mistletoe.  He will be really happy that we have this link now and I will have him program the numbers into his phone for when he is on jobs.  

Since we have been doing this today we have also been looking at bee boxes for our house.  I would love to get some honey/wax without having to kill the bees in the future.  That would be so much fun.


----------



## ca_soap (Jan 2, 2014)

Lot of good information out there on bees.  You may call the closest contact you can find and ask them for future reference.  Chances are they won't drive 2 hours for a hive in a tree, at least not for free, but chances also are that they know a beekeeper closer to your area they could refer you to.  I have tried saving several of these hives in trees and have yet to have a success story.  Easiest and best way to gather them is to catch a swarm during early spring.


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 2, 2014)

ca_soap said:


> Lot of good information out there on bees.  You may call the closest contact you can find and ask them for future reference.  Chances are they won't drive 2 hours for a hive in a tree, at least not for free, but chances also are that they know a beekeeper closer to your area they could refer you to.  I have tried saving several of these hives in trees and have yet to have a success story.  Easiest and best way to gather them is to catch a swarm during early spring.



I kinda doubt they would have come out here either.  If we didn't have family here, I would not be here.  The only reason I know that the cell phones work 45 miles away is because that is how far you have to drive to get to a grocery store.  There isn't even a convenience store here.  You literally have to drive 45 miles for a gallon of milk. :/


----------



## reinbeau (Jan 2, 2014)

Cappings wax is the best for soaping and cosmetics - that's what you get when you take the cappings off the combs when you're going to extract.  

Here is the wax I rendered last month.  I ended up with 8.5 pounds of lovely clean wax


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 2, 2014)

That is beautiful reinbeau!!


----------



## boyago (Jan 2, 2014)

MirandaH said:


> ...  I really hated to see them all kicked out of their home and know they will most likely die and that really upsets me, but the tree was already on the ground when he found it and the homeowner wanted it gone and if we didn't do it, he would call someone else who would.  There is just so much of it.



In case this happens again: Bee keeping and bee clubs have become pretty popular.  My uncle is a bee keeping hobyist and member of a club (there are two in his town).  He regularly goes out on hive rescues where they take away unwanted hives and relocate them.  They are also probably a good resource if you use allot of bees wax in your soaps.  
There are also some pretty good instructables on building solar bees wax separators.  I may build one for my cousin who also keeps bees.

** Apparently I just replied to page 1, carry on!


----------



## CaraBou (Jan 3, 2014)

What an adventure! Way to embrace it!


----------



## engblom (Jan 3, 2014)

My parents has had bee hives many years ago. They still have some wax left. Yesterday I made a soap with wax 

When it comes to the honey, you need to take care of it otherwise it will turn into a hard, sticky and yucky brick. You have two options:

1. Stir it daily until it is has become a paste. Like this all good stuff are preserved and it is still easy to take honey by spoon. (The prefered way)
2. Heat up the honey. The honey will remain runny, but a lot of good stuff disappeares and the taste is not the same anymore.


----------



## Susie (Jan 3, 2014)

And when you at last get clean wax, let me suggest that you remelt that wax one more time and drizzle it onto an aluminum foil lined pan with sides that is really cold. (or just make a "pan" with the aluminum foil that has the sides and corners crimped up to give you 1" sides like a pan) Just make either thin lines you can break up, or a thin sheet you can easily cut up.  This makes measuring it out to use it really easy.

And, yes, I forgot about the larvae.  Sorry.  I knew she was needing info in a hurry, and I have not fooled with bees since I was a teen.  And we are not going to discuss how long ago that was.


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 3, 2014)

This has been so much fun! And it's not over yet!  It seems that I have a lot to learn if I want to do any beekeeping or rescuing myself.  We have been certified by the state to rescue wild animals (that's why we have rescued so many squirrels, it is illegal to have them unless the state approves you here) and it would be neat to be able to do the same here.  I have a piece of property behind my house that is a little over a half an acre (That's huge for where we live) that is just a flat piece of land with nothing on it.  Every year I put a garden back there on part of it.  I think it would be perfect to put some hives on and just coat the part that I don't put my garden on with wildflowers. I was already planning to do a big herb garden this year and plant lots of flowers for soaping. I figure if I start learning now and taking the classes back home that are local, I might be able to get a decent start next Spring.  

For those of you that keep bees, do any of you rescue?  And if you do rescue, can you set up new hives for the ones that you rescue on the same property, or is it harmful to have different bees from different colonies on the same land and they should be taken somewhere else?  I know that half an acre isn't really that big and I wouldn't want to rescue anything from one of his job sites just to have a harmful situation for them.  I also won't be doing any rescuing and will just call the people in Chesapeake if we come across a hive back home until we know what we are doing and what is safe for the bees.  Maybe I can get together with someone from Chesapeake in advance and tell them how often my husband comes across this and ask if they can help me learn and show me a few things when they try to rescue the ones he comes across.  It would be much better to learn from someone hands on than just from books and classes when it appears that my husband has so many opportunities.  Plus, the two places in Chesapeake are the only ones close to me and my husband does a lot of jobs that are 30 - 60 minutes away in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, where we live.


----------



## neeners (Jan 3, 2014)

i'm no bee expert, it was my bf's dream to have a hive.  locally, there are guys who take wild bees from people's properties (just like how you guys did), and set them up with their own hives.  then he lends these hives out to whoever wants them (if you have land/orchard, etc).  we got one such hive a couple years ago.  it was great, until they decided they didn't like the sound of the weed whacker and swarmed my bf a few times.  they also kept flying into the house at night, which isn't great.....  b/c the hive was close to the house, they had to go back to the guy.  

so....long story short, it is possible to relocate wild hives to be a domestic hive.  I think what the guy did was put a piece of the old hive in those white boxes (with the queen of course), and they just re-build.  just make sure the queen isn't Africanized.....


----------



## Ancel (Jan 3, 2014)

Sounds like it has been a terrific experience for you! Just reading over the thread from the beginning, so much learning going on. It's so heartwarming to be on this forum


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 3, 2014)

Ancel said:


> Sounds like it has been a terrific experience for you! Just reading over the thread from the beginning, so much learning going on. It's so heartwarming to be on this forum



Not to air the dirty laundry, but after so many years with my Ex (who I get along with very well, and have an amazing relationship with) and his fear of anything and everything, this has been an amazing experience.  Last night, my husband admitted that he didn't really think that I would try to get the wax/honey when he called me out there. He ended up right there in the kitchen with me helping every step of the way and it was so neat to do something like that together. He's just as excited as I am about learning more when we get home and I caught him looking at bee boxes and suits last night online at 3:30 in the morning. And even better, he sees this as a great opportunity to help with my soaping and the environment at the same time.  It's so nice to have someone who is so supportive. When we got together, no one could believe that I would marry someone who cuts down trees for a living, but everything isn't always what it seem on the surface. There are a lot of times that trees are diseased and have to go before infecting other trees.  Even my FIL was just amazed by the whole thing and very upset that there was no one local to him to come and save the hive, so he is looking into starting beekeeping, himself!


----------



## neeners (Jan 3, 2014)

we loved our bees.  their honey was just amazing.  so clear and rich, and tasted a little like coconuts.  my bf loves chewing on the combs.  hoping to have bees back again some day.


----------



## athallr (Jan 3, 2014)

I feel like I've learned so much in this thread,what an amazing experience! I totally forgot I wanted to start a hive this year. Time to look into that


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 3, 2014)

One of the things that I love so much about this forum is that everyone is so helpful and friendly and when someone rains on someone else's parade, it is for good reason.  

What I am learning about my local bee keeping community is that everyone is the same.  There isn't a lot of snippy comments and everyone seems very helpful.  Even regular giving away of queens.  There isn't a whole lot of competitive attitude because everyone understands the seriousness of the bee problems right now and they all understand that the more bees, the better.


----------



## dixiedragon (Jan 3, 2014)

I would love to try this. I am not in a position to have bees right now, but I am going to contact my local bee-keeping club (if there is one!) and see if somebody would like a volunteer helper for the day! I'd love to try this.


----------



## Susie (Jan 3, 2014)

I hate to put a damper on this, but you really need to look into your state and local ordinances before signing up for bees.  My dad had to get out of beekeeping due to someone moving into the neighborhood that had bee allergies.  The laws said he had to have extra insurance in case they got stung.


----------



## boyago (Jan 3, 2014)

Susie said:


> I hate to put a damper on this, but you really need to look into your state and local ordinances before signing up for bees.  My dad had to get out of beekeeping due to someone moving into the neighborhood that had bee allergies.  The laws said he had to have extra insurance in case they got stung.



Very True.  Most municipalities have their own codes for bees and other animals like chickens.  Here in Portland, OR you need to contact all the neighboring properties and get permission.  I'm sure to cover yourself you would want to get that in writing.  For chickens I think you can have up to four hens and if you want more you can get a variance.  This would be another thing that a local bee club could help you with.  Also if there is a feed store type of business in the area they would probably be able to help you find the information you need.

Can I just take a second to recognize how cool the participants on this forum are?  I am constantly pleasantly surprised to see all the cool things outside of soap that the people here are doing.  You people are great!


----------



## dixiedragon (Jan 3, 2014)

Susie said:


> I hate to put a damper on this, but you really need to look into your state and local ordinances before signing up for bees. My dad had to get out of beekeeping due to someone moving into the neighborhood that had bee allergies. The laws said he had to have extra insurance in case they got stung.


 
I have a friend in Florida who wants to have a hive, and apparently you have to get a permit from the state and there is a long waiting list for permits.


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 3, 2014)

Susie said:


> I hate to put a damper on this, but you really need to look into your state and local ordinances before signing up for bees.  My dad had to get out of beekeeping due to someone moving into the neighborhood that had bee allergies.  The laws said he had to have extra insurance in case they got stung.



Yes, I plan I checking into this as soon as I get home.  We had to be certified to rescue the wild animals because you can't have certain things unless you get approval, and squirrels were one of those things.  In the Spring time my husband takes down a lot of trees that have baby squirrels in them and when you take them down, the mother often abandons the babies.  If you find that they are abandoned (you don't just take them, you give the mom a chance to come back and she does more often than you would think, considering what goes on when a tree is taken down), and you don't have anyone to call, then you have to leave them there and they will die because they can't get milk.  

We are also allowed to have up to 4 chickens, but you have to have a permit to keep them and the city, despite passing laws saying you could have up to 4 if your property is more than 1/4 acre (That's not many where I live) they have issued exactly 0 permits.  I am hoping, since there are chapters of the Beekeeper association for my city, with what seems to be many member, that it isn't too hard to be able to start, however, it is hard to say how many people just go rogue when they can't get a permit.  I do know someone with chickens.

ETA:  I saw this on the class listing for my city "This course fulfills the educational requirement of six (6) hours of classroom instruction in introductory beekeeping training for the qualified level of the Virginia Master Beekeeper Program."  and I e-mailed them and was told that despite Norfolk being listed as no bees everywhere, as of Oct 2011 "there are no restrictions on keeping bees in Norfolk."  I believe that if anyone would know, it would be these people, but I am still going to check with the city before doing anything.


----------



## MzMolly65 (Jan 3, 2014)

MirandaH said:


> he told me that he comes across hives like this about once every month or two and they just put the trunks through the chipper.  Now I am considering getting a bee suit and a smoker and having him call me every time he comes across one.



I would be thinking the exact same thing as you!!  What a fantastic day you've had .. yummy wild honey AND wax for your projects .. SCORE!


----------



## Thistle Creek Honey (Jan 4, 2014)

I would second the statement to pls call a local beekeeper.  Hubby can keep a list of a couple contacts with him.  Beekeepers usually pay @ $130 for a colony like that.  I'd be willing to drive an hour to save $130.  Another option some use to strain honey from crushed comb is to use a new/clean paint strainer bag from Home Depot.  Put all comb in new/clean bag and hang in bottle/bucket and let honey drain out.  We have food grade 5 gallon buckets with filters that sit inside bucket to filter honey from wax, but the bags are a cheaper/easier option.  And to filter the wax that is left from this straining, we usually put wax in a cloth bag on a pie tin with holes in the bottom over a deep pan.  This allows the wax and honey to drip down thru the cloth from the pie tin that rests over the pan into the bottom of the pan.  We place the entire pan in a solar (or electric) oven.  Keep at low temps as wax fires are not good.  This filters the wax and the lets any residual honey collect on the bottom of the pan with the wax.  Once done, it's easy to separate the wax from the left over honey.  The honey will be a little thick, but good for baking.


----------



## Susie (Jan 6, 2014)

If it were warmer, I would say to put the wax that has drained once outside and let the bees/ants clean it up.   They actually do a really good job getting the last of the honey.  But, considering the weather, that's not going to happen any time soon.  Before you decide to rescue wild bees, you also need to know what to look for to tell if they have been Africanised or not.(I am not sure of that spelling.)


----------



## reinbeau (Jan 6, 2014)

Susie said:


> I hate to put a damper on this, but you really need to look into your state and local ordinances before signing up for bees.  My dad had to get out of beekeeping due to someone moving into the neighborhood that had bee allergies.  The laws said he had to have extra insurance in case they got stung.


Thus my suggestion to find your local beekeeping organization, they will have the information you need to get started, or even if you can, in your area  

Beekeeping Association Listing


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 6, 2014)

We won't be doing any rescuing for quite some time, if ever.  We are going to take the classes and get our own stuff, and we have checked and the class and registering with the state and following their requirements (notifying them if there a large number die, etc.).  We have looked into local bee keeping clubs and have found some in Norfolk and there are a couple of people who are more local that Chesapeake that will do rescues and we have talked to them about what he does and programmed them into our cell phones, so if there are bees at any of his job sites here at home, we have someone to come and take them away.  

We are in the process of getting the wax taken care of now and have just boiled the pieces for the first time.  We ended up with 7 and a half pints of honey that we strained 4 or 5 times and it was beautiful and so yummy.  I say way because there isn't much left.  Everyone that comes over wants some and we won't eat it all, so we have been giving away pint jars to friends and family that we have seen.  You snooze you lose in this case!  

I am anxious to see how much wax we will get out of it and how in the world that brown mucky looking stuff turns into pretty beeswax.  I am hoping we haven't screwed it up, but we shall see.


----------



## MOGal70 (Jan 10, 2014)

As a hobby beekeeper I was saddened when I started reading this thread and saw that the hive was destroyed. but the last post makes it worth it! 

We started with a "wild" hive in our shed that had to be moved as we were tearing down the shed, we transferred the hive from the barrel they had made their home in to a box and now have 4 hives. 

IMHO even if a wild colony is put in a box and left alone without anyone collecting the honey and otherwise "working" them the planet is better off than if the hive is destroyed!  That is, of course, providing that it is not an africanized colony as they can be VERY vicious!


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 10, 2014)

MOGal70 said:


> As a hobby beekeeper I was saddened when I started reading this thread and saw that the hive was destroyed. but the last post makes it worth it!
> 
> We started with a "wild" hive in our shed that had to be moved as we were tearing down the shed, we transferred the hive from the barrel they had made their home in to a box and now have 4 hives.
> 
> IMHO even if a wild colony is put in a box and left alone without anyone collecting the honey and otherwise "working" them the planet is better off than if the hive is destroyed!  That is, of course, providing that it is not an africanized colony as they can be VERY vicious!



I have known about the bee problem for years and have raised my kids to not kill any bees they see and to just leave them alone. They know all about the bee problems.  I am a total tree hugger and it really broke my heart that there was no way to save them, but I certainly was not allowing my husband to throw the trunk in the chipper with those bees still in it. I have learned so much and can't wait to start the classes in Feb. 

But more importantly, since there are no bee keepers in the area where my FIL lives, and he was just as fascinated and upset, he has gone forward full force with learning everything he can and has already started buying boxes for his land in SC.  He owns more than half of the town (which is very large in size, but not in population.) and has more money, time and land than he knows what to do with.  He has gotten together with some other people in town and they are all getting together on his land and planting a huge community garden (like, land as far as you can see in every direction) to grow flowers, food and spices and he is going to speak with the few tree companies within 2 hours driving distance and rescue the bees that he can down there and put them around these gardens.  They are all going to grow different things that are beneficial to bees and then harvest and share everything they grew.  I really hope he is able to do it and he's not the type to give up easily on something he feels is right.


----------



## seven (Jan 10, 2014)

^^^

we need more ppl like your FIL in this world!


----------



## mel z (Jan 10, 2014)

Really enjoyed reading this thread and the entire process.

Happy the bees can find homes. I never knew!!!

Wish I had some of that raw honey for the allergy season. Wish I had some of that wax for other bath, body, and crafty goodies.

Hope you guys like to eat the combs too. Dad taught me to do that. You can clean and save for a nice, all natural, honeycomb pattern maker. 

I wanna' live with all you guys so we can share and learn together, lol.


----------



## boyago (Jan 10, 2014)

mel z said:


> Really enjoyed reading this thread and the entire process.
> 
> Happy the bees can find homes. I never knew!!!
> 
> ...



YEAH!  SMF cult living co-op!  I am very handy.  We'll be the best smelling cleanest hippies around.


----------



## mel z (Jan 10, 2014)

boyago said:


> YEAH!  SMF cult living co-op!  I am very handy.  We'll be the best smelling cleanest hippies around.



Thank you for getting what I was sayin'!


----------



## MirandaH (Jan 10, 2014)

mel z said:


> Really enjoyed reading this thread and the entire process.
> ...I wanna' live with all you guys so we can share and learn together, lol.



OMG!!  That would be so much fun!!!!!


----------



## reinbeau (Jan 10, 2014)

MirandaH said:


> We won't be doing any rescuing for quite some time, if ever.  We are going to take the classes and get our own stuff, and we have checked and the class and registering with the state and following their requirements (notifying them if there a large number die, etc.).  We have looked into local bee keeping clubs and have found some in Norfolk and there are a couple of people who are more local that Chesapeake that will do rescues and we have talked to them about what he does and programmed them into our cell phones, so if there are bees at any of his job sites here at home, we have someone to come and take them away.


 That's awesome 



> We are in the process of getting the wax taken care of now and have just boiled the pieces for the first time.  We ended up with 7 and a half pints of honey that we strained 4 or 5 times and it was beautiful and so yummy.  I say way because there isn't much left.  Everyone that comes over wants some and we won't eat it all, so we have been giving away pint jars to friends and family that we have seen.  You snooze you lose in this case!
> 
> I am anxious to see how much wax we will get out of it and how in the world that brown mucky looking stuff turns into pretty beeswax.  I am hoping we haven't screwed it up, but we shall see.


You won't.  

The easiest way to clean beeswax is to use a double boiler.  Put the wax in the top with about an inch of water.  Bring the boiler pot to a good hard simmer, and keep an eye on it.  Don't let the water all burn out of it.  The wax in the top will melt down, you can stir it to help it along.  

While the wax is melting, prepare something like an orange juice carton (a waxed paper carton), clean it out, and put a folded piece of cheesecloth or some other filter material across the top.  Let it hang a bit into the carton.  I used binder clips to hold the filter material in place.

Once it's all melted carefully pour the contents through the cheesecloth into the carton.  I used a spoon to press it through before it cooled.  Most of the yuck stayed in the cheesecloth, I rolled the cheesecloth up and will use it for firestarters - they work great!

After the wax cools what you'll have is water in the bottom, the wax will be on top, and there will be a layer of slum-gum in the water inbetween.  Just tear the carton loose over the sink and cut off any residual yuck from the bottom of the block of wax.  If you want you can chop that up and do it again, it'll be even cleaner, although I've always found if I use a thick enough cheesecloth filter it's clean enough.

If you have any questions just ask, I'd be happy to help.


----------

