# how much wax from uncapping?



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

One pound per sixty pounds of honey. That's what I have heard. 

And when I used to get my honey extracted, this one place figured it that way. If I wanted the wax, I paid him per lb for rendering it into slabs and we figured that that is how much I should get for every bucket of honey that was extracted. Otherwise he kept the wax and I paid for the extracting only.


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## Nate Finch (Aug 4, 2010)

Wow, that's not much, but I guess that's to be expected from the small amount you're actually taking off. Luckily, I have a friend with an extractor, so that part won't cost me anything, at least.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I don't know how much honey is contained in a pound of wax, in other words comb, but it is quite alot compared to the relativly small amount of wax. The same is true of plastic bags.

I'm sure someone has that number. Probably Michael Bush.


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## tarheit (Mar 26, 2003)

It depends on how deep the bees have built the comb. New comb with 10 frames per box end up with very little wax harvested. After they are drawn you can use 8 or 9 per super and you'll tend to get more wax.

In my experience it tends to be 2-3% wax. (ie. 2-3 pounds per 100lbs of honey.) Small enough that I haven't bothered filtering and molding it into blocks for sale every year.

-Tim


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

I just harvested 100 lbs. honey in jars, and I ended up with a little under 2 lbs. rendered wax. John


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

Well first off it will depend on the number of supers you get per year. I average 20 supers / yr. Been doin it for 9 yrs and have less than 30 lbs of cappings total. 

So, lets see.... That is 30 lbs for 180 supers (9x20) OR .166 lbs per super per year. Note that is clean wax only. All honey is removed.


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

I've heard that if you run 10 frames in a 10 frame box, you will get 1 pound of wax per every 100 pounds of honey produced. If you run 8 frames in your 10 frame box, you can get 2 pounds of wax per 100 pounds of honey.

It also depends on how capped your frames are. If all your frames are fully capped, you will get more wax than if your frames are only partially capped.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Fuzzy said:


> Well first off it will depend on the number of supers you get per year. I average 20 supers / yr. Been doin it for 9 yrs and have less than 30 lbs of cappings total.
> 
> So, lets see.... That is 30 lbs for 180 supers (9x20) OR .166 lbs per super per year. Note that is clean wax only. All honey is removed.


fuzzy, your math sure is fuzzy. What does the amount of wax per super have to do w/ how much wax you will get from uncapping frames of honey? You are comparing apples to orangatans. What size supers are you running? Comb honey supers w/ frames in them? How much honey are you getting per super? The actual number, please. Not the formula for figuring it.

I know that 9x20=180. Why did you put that in there? 9 what times 20 what? Is that 20 stacks of 9 supers each? Or what?


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Nate Finch said:


> How much usable wax do you get from uncapping honey frames?


Not much.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

dan, can you be more precise? So little that you just throw it away w/ the trash?


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

Nate, have you been by our factory? We are on the Ayer/Harvard line!


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

Mark,

The original question was "How much usable wax do you get from uncapping honey frames?"

I provided a precise answer to that question. If you don't like the answer or the format then too bad. It is accurate. I get aproximately .166 lbs of wax cappings per super per year. I run a mix of 9 frame mediums and 10 frame mediums so the answer is an average for both.


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## Nate Finch (Aug 4, 2010)

I think "not much" is a pretty valid answer... and seems to be what most people here say 

Maxant - awesome! I didn't realize you guys were so close  I may come around this time next year


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

Nate,

I just finished cleaning and drying cappings from 5 medium supers so I took the opportunity to weigh them. Bear in mind that I use a scratcher not a knife or some other tool so I do minimal removal of wax. And the answer is......

5 mediums = 15.5 oz of clean dry wax (439 gms ) so 1 super will be about 3.1 oz per filling.
OR .19375 lbs.

Again Not much -- Fuzzy


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## plaztikjezuz (Apr 22, 2010)

i read last week in beekeeping for dummy's 1# for every 100 # of honey


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## WI-beek (Jul 14, 2009)

I also use my scratcher instead of my $130.00 electric knife as I find it to be faster and less messy. Also found you get less wax than when you shave the wax off with the knives cause with the knife you are not taking only the capping but some of the depth of the cells as well. I dont know how much per supper or what not but after I washed the honey off and let dry I could not believe how little wax I have. I was thinking I was gunna be making some candles for Christmas presents but unless Im giving out birthday cake candles that aint gunna happen. And knowing this now, I dont get all the commotion about how much honey it takes to make a pound of wax. I dont think its even worth worrying about. And I also wonder how they get enough wax to make all the foundation in demand, it aint coming from me!


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## oldenglish (Oct 22, 2008)

A couple of weeks ago I harvested from four supers (38 frames total) These were all first year frames and after putting the cappings through my solar wax melter I came away with 1.5 lbs of clean wax.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Nate.... I have extracted approximately 3840 lbs of honey this year and I have approximately 75 lbs of wax. I run 8 frame supers. I use a solar melter and melt each day the cappings from the previous day extracting. [email protected]


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I figure 2% wax to honey.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

odfrank..... That is what mine figgures out also. (75 lbs wax from 3480 lbs honey is roughly 2 %.) As I said, I use 8 frame supers, so I get a little more wax than those who use 9 or 10 frames , because the uncapping also gets cell structure which is drawn out beyond the top bar and bottom bars. 
I use 8 frame supers because they are so easy to uncap. No need to ever use a scratcher. cchoganjr


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

After we switched to a Cowan uncapper, I started to move from eight frame spacing, great for hand uncapping, to more nine frame spacing. Less cappings to deal with.


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

In changing from 8 to 9 frame spacing, have you noticed any change in honey production? Is there a noticeable increase in honey production due to decreased wax production?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I don't have any data to determine that. We just felt the eight framers cause too much lifting of the cappings bucket and more work for the cappings spinner. We still run probably 1/3 eight frame to 2/3 nine frame, and it all gets processed mixed together. I love the look of a jammed packed eight frame spacing super and frames.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

odfrank. I love the ease of uncapping. Never a worry about sunk in combs. Never have to use a scratcher. And, I believe you get a little more honey per super with 8 frames because the cells are drawn out so wide. I don't do enough supers each day to worry about how much wax I get each day. I work at a very slow pace. Like it that way.

One thing occured to me and you may want to comment since you also use some 8 frame supers. Anyone reading this should be CAUTIONED, only use 8 frames where you have drawn or extracted comb. If you put foundation in an 8 frame super you will get a mess of dropped combs, multiple combs etc. Just thought I would share this in case anyone might be reading this and decides to try 8 frame supers.


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