i used a solar wax melter and ended up with wax and a bunch of brown water which is a mixture of honey and water....this process took a few weeks since we were lacking somewhat for the solar part of the melter. what can i do with the brown water? feed it to the bees?
Did the water ferment after such a long sugary sit?
how would i know if it did? by tasting it? smelling it?
pour it away, as simple as that.
yeah....but i was just trying to find out if theres any use for it.
I feed it back to the bees. You can add a little clorox to keep it from fermenting. It will start to foam if it is fermenting.
thanks rob...i set it out a couple of hundred feet from the hives in a flat pan. will check it later. i hate wasting resources.
Keep in mind that honey that has been heated can become poisonous to bees. I can't imagine that there is all that much sugar left in there, most of the color probably comes from the coocoons in the cappings.
It probably isn't worth keeping. But then again it probably won't hurt the bees.
-Rick
some say this is the best way to spread disease, that's why i said pour away. bette safe than sorrow (to be honest, how much honey could there be? an ounce maybe?)
Quote from: Mici on August 10, 2007, 02:46:09 PM
(to be honest, how much honey could there be? an ounce maybe?)
When you do cut outs, there can be a significant amount. Even after attempting a crush and strain first, I have times I render more honey than wax. Now granted I could set the crush and stain bucket in the sun and get more honey out, but that attacks the bees. Dumping it into the solar melter after an overnight drain in the garage is much less work and less harassment from the bees.
this wax is from some crush and strain...i'd say theres quite a bit of honey in it. whatever. the bees seem to be having a good time.
I just put the wet cappings out. The bees clean them up really well, and they won't drown in the water. Then I render the wax, and the brown water is just that...brown water.
Just so that it isn't in a place that will start robbing....
Rick
I just dump mine.
Sincerely,
Brendhan