Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: edenviewgarden on November 05, 2008, 03:57:36 PM

Title: Different colors of beeswax
Post by: edenviewgarden on November 05, 2008, 03:57:36 PM
Can anybody tell me why beeswax is different colors?  I had the the lid off the garbage can hive today  reducing the entrance and noticed that now there is a pure white comb in between some of the yellow ones.  I had been wondering before when I had seen pictures of combs of all white wax why my feral bees made yellow.

Jane
Title: Re: Different colors of beeswax
Post by: Michael Bush on November 05, 2008, 08:14:56 PM
New wax when not a lot of yellow pollen is coming in, is white.  New wax when a lot of yellow pollen is coming in, is yellow.  Old wax that has never had brood in it is yellowish brown.  Wax that has had brood in it is brown and gets darker with every generation of brood because of the cocoons left int he cells.  Old brood comb is black.  All of this is normal.
Title: Re: Different colors of beeswax
Post by: edenviewgarden on November 05, 2008, 08:44:24 PM
Thanks, Michael.

Jane