Whats the best way to clean the wax leftover from a crush and strain?

a wannabee · June 28, 2008, 09:25:20 PM

I crushed and strained two frames today. What is the best way to clean the honey off the wax and store it? Just run it under hot water and melt it in a double boiler?

DrKurtG · June 28, 2008, 10:26:09 PM

I just rinse it off with hot water in the sink. I think it is Linda T that has a great video on her site.

Robo · June 28, 2008, 11:06:19 PM

Set it out for the bees to clean. Why wash it down the drain?

tillie · June 29, 2008, 12:00:39 AM

I'm not clear about your question - I put the dripping frames back in a box and put them on the hives where the bees clean them up and make more wax and more honey.

If you are talking about the wax that the honey has been strained out of in the filter, I rinse that in the sink - there's little honey in it because it has run through the strainer. Then I put it in the solar wax melter to get the gunk out of it.

There are videos on my blog about both processes.

Linda T in Atlanta.

DrKurtG · June 29, 2008, 12:08:38 AM

Yes, that's what I meant. Once completely strained, I rinse the wax off and then air dry it before processing.

a wannabee · June 29, 2008, 01:25:18 PM

I rinsed off the crushed wax in the sink. I dont have a solar melter. What do suggest the next best thing to do is?

broke-t · June 29, 2008, 03:03:01 PM

We did a cutout this weekend and put the brood and some honey into frames for the bees. THe rest we crushed and strained for us. Took the leftover wax and put in pot with some water and heated over propane cooker outside till all was melted. Poured thru strainer into plastic pan.

After cooling popped wax out of pan and washed off. Nice clean wax. Trash left in strainer popped out after hardning.

Works for us just make sure your outside and don't boil over. Fire hazzard.

Johnny

tillie · June 29, 2008, 08:22:57 PM

You can make a solar wax melter for less than $6 with a styrofoam beer cooler and a piece of glass - see my blog.

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2007/06/video-on-how-to-use-simple-solar-wax.html

Otherwise, melt it in an enamel or stainless steel double boiler, being cautious about the fire hazard. If you use aluminum, it discolors the wax.....but for the prettiest wax of all, use the cheap solar wax melter!

Linda T in Atlanta

octagon · June 29, 2008, 09:35:11 PM

Quote from: a wannabee on June 28, 2008, 09:25:20 PM
I crushed and strained two frames today. What is the best way to clean the honey off the wax and store it? Just run it under hot water and melt it in a double boiler?

ditto---Set it out for the bees to clean. Why wash it down the drain?
I even put wax out on a cookie sheet for them to clean up, today in fact i had out a cookie sheet full and the bees were doing their thing and a bumble bee was on one corner of the tyay grabbing a free snack.

tillie · June 29, 2008, 10:14:40 PM

If I only had one hive, I might set it out for the bees, but with a number of hives (I have 8), it's an invitation to start a robbing frenzy in the apiary and I would put the wax under the hive cover before simply setting it out in the yard.

Sometimes when I have done crush and strain and have drips on the cardboard that I put on the floor and under the supers, I set the cardboard in front of my house on the sidewalk - it's away from the beeyard and is first come, first served, but doesn't then inspire robbing in the beeyard.

Linda T in Atlanta

Scadsobees · June 30, 2008, 11:38:32 AM

I too set the wax (and equipment) out to be cleaned by the bees. Talk about a bee storm! It has been several years and it hasn't set off any robbing yet. I do place it all so that my shed is between the hives and the honey, though. There is usually a fair amount of honey on and in everything and I hate to let that go to waste...

-rick

randydrivesabus · June 30, 2008, 11:52:48 AM

i set my wax out to be cleaned by the bees too but its far (200' or so)from the hives.

a wannabee · June 30, 2008, 11:55:43 AM

Thanks Linda, I will try the solar melter. By the way, nice article in the Brookhaven Buzz!

tillie · June 30, 2008, 03:34:03 PM

QuoteBy the way, nice article in the Brookhaven Buzz!

Thanks wannabee, the author said because bees are endangered now, the editor put that same article in all of the Hometown News for June - so it was in all six papers - the Decatur Dispatch, the Lilburn ____, the Ponce Press, etc.

Here it is if anyone wants to see it.

Linda T almost famous ;) ;) in Atlanta

annette · June 30, 2008, 04:47:29 PM

Oh what a wonderful article and thank you so much for sharing this. Ever since you mentioned it on your blog, I was curious about the articles.

I just love this solar wax melter and it works great. The wax comes out so clean after passing through the 2 layers of paper towels. Thanks for the blog Linda. I refer back to it for many things.

Take care and good luck with all those bee hives. Yikes!!
Annette

derrick1p1 · June 30, 2008, 06:23:59 PM

Okay, I think I've been wasting some precious honey. After I have strained all I can from the crushed comb, I just put it in the solar wax melter. The honey filters through to the bottom of the water, and the wax is just floating on top. I don't see any need to filter it as it separates from the wax in the melter. But should I set it out for the bees? Or I guess I could just take the honey that settled on the bottom of the coffee can and give it back to them? Will it encourage robbing if I place 50+ feet from the hive with a barrier (my house) between it and the hives?

Derrick (advocate of the $6 solar was melter, found on Linda's blog:)