Beeswax

Where does beeswax come from?

Beeswax is made by 4 pairs of glands on the underside of worker honeybees. It is used to build the honey comb where nectar is stored. Pure beeswax is white in color but because of natural staining from different pollens and propolis (a future blogpost topic), the color varies usually from hues of brown to yellow.

Where do we get our beeswax?

When we harvest honey from our hives, the top or cap of the honeycomb has to be cut off to get to the honey. These 'caps' are saved until we have enough to melt down using a home-made solar wax 'melter'. The melted wax is strained to remove debris and is poured into a 'storage mold' which is the cut off bottom of a half gallon waxed milk carton. The liquid wax hardens and is stored until we start making individual candles in the winter time

What is beeswax composed of?

Beeswax is composed of hydrocarbons, monoesters, diesters, free acids, hydroxy polyesters and monoesters, acid polyesters, triesters, acid polyesters....basically chemicals.

Does beeswax get old?

Pure beeswax has an indefinite shelf life when stored in cool, dry conditions. It has been found in Roman ruins, on sunken Viking ships, and in the tombs of pharoahs. Thousands of years old beeswax samples have been tested and have almost identical properties to freshly produced beeswax.

What is beeswax 'bloom'?

Over time, pure beeswax often develops a fine whitish film commonly called 'bloom'. This can be easily rubbed off with a soft cloth and it will likely return. The time it takes to appear varies with storage conditions. 'Bloom' does not impact the beeswax burning qualities. If you find 'bloom' on beeswax, you know it is pure beeswax and not parrafin!

Is burning beeswax safe?

Yes as long as you take precautions to burn it in a safe place. Beeswax is the only fuel to emit negative ions when burning. Positively charged particles like dust, pollen, mold, viruses, mite particles, etc float in the air & you can see these when a beam of sunshine hits them at the right angle. Static electricity causes them to be positively charged. Burning pure beeswax candles help rid your home of positively charged particles. This may be helpful if you have allergies or environmental sensitivities.