Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Reusing beeswax
If you want to reuse the wax, it is worth investing in a wax foundation mould. I use
one that makes a single sheet of Langstroth-sized foundation. This is simply a press
with hinges. Inside, on the upper and lower leaves, made of a rubber material are the
imprints of foundation.
To make a sheet, you melt the wax in a bain-marie, spray some liquid lubricant over the
rubber leaves, pour over the wax, close the press and wait a short while. Next, you trim
off any excess wax, open the leaves and gently pull off the sheet of wax.
An even easier method is to take your wax to a bee-supply company to exchange this for
wax foundation, or even just to sell it. There is always a demand for wax.
Harvesting propolis
Propolis is another side-line of beekeeping, and few, if any, commercial operators
harvest propolis alone. With advances in our understanding of propolis and with
advances in its uses in medicine, perhaps one day they will. In the meantime, however,
propolis is a very saleable product.
There are two basic methods of harvesting propolis.
Scraping
First, propolis can be scraped off all the woodwork. The main problem with this
method is the tiny wood shavings that get into the propolis. Not only that, but this also
is a very time-consuming way of collecting propolis and so, if you have to pay someone
to do it for you, it is probably not a cost-effective method.
Propolis screens
The main way to collect propolis is to employ propolis screens. These screens (or grids)
can be purchased from any bee-supply shop, or you could make your own - but they
must be flexible. The screens rely on the fact that the bees will propolize any small holes
in the hive. If the screen is made of slots (holes) around 3-4 mm (⅛ in) in width, and if
the screen is placed on top of the bars (where you would place a crown board if you used
one), then the bees will propolize the slots. When these are full, you remove the screen,
