Honeybees in Autumn: Preparing for Winter - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 94

CLEANING BEESWAX
Itisquitegratifyingtocleanyourownbeeswax,andwhenyousmellthatwarm,honey-
tinged aroma, you will be glad you did. Melting and filtering your beeswax also further
purifies it. To clean your wax, you'll need a large used coffee can, an old pan you don't
use for cooking, a rubber band, a clean empty milk carton, and piece of cheesecloth to
stretch over the top of the milk carton.
Fillupthecoffeecanwithyourwax.Placethecaninthepanhalffullofwater.Never
melt wax over a direct flame or let it boil. Beeswax is highly flammable and can ignite
in an instant.
Slowlybringthewatertoaboiltillthewaxmelts.Asthebeeswaxmelts,itwillemit
that lovely aroma, the same one that you smell in the beeyard. Any debris will fall to
the bottom of the can. While your wax is melting, stretch the cheesecloth over the top
of the milk carton, securing it with the rubber band. When the beeswax has completely
melted, carefully pour it through the cheesecloth into the milk carton. The cheesecloth
will act as a filter, catching any debris that was in your beeswax. Let the freshly poured
beeswax cool until you are ready to use it. Repeat with more beeswax, pouring it into
anothercarton.Thecardboardmilkcartoncanberippedawayfromthewaxwhenithas
completely cooled down and hardened. This whole process should not take more than a
half hour.
MAKING BEESWAX CANDLES
Beeswax candles have always played a part in furnishing light. From early times,
beeswax has played an important role in religious liturgy. The Catholic Church at one
timerequiredallreligiouscandlestobe100percentvirginbeeswax;itregardedthewax
as a symbol of purity and the Virgin Mary. It was also observed that beeswax candles
burn cleanly, producing no smoke; paraffin candles emit black soot, which covered
paintings and religious artifacts in the churches.
This versatile material was recognized and valued by ancient civilizations because
ofitsexcellent ability tomakeaslow-burningcandle.Beeswax candlesaresustainable,
emitting negative ions that actually clean the air and invigorate the body. Beeswax
candles emit light that has a light spectrum similar to that of sunlight. With the correct
type of wick, beeswax candles are smokeless and dripless.
When you make pure beeswax candles from your own beeswax, there are endless
types ofmolds tochoose from.They can befoundinanycraft store orbeekeeping-sup-
ply catalog. Don't forget to get some wicks and those little metal bases that hold the