# Honeycomb -- made entirely by the bees?..



## honeylover (Sep 12, 2014)

Hi!

Can someone explain, please:

The comb honey is made entirely by the bees, or do beekeepers use some bleached beeswax base?

How exactly does it work -- do bees build the comb using the wax given them by their beekeeper, or each comb honey was made by the bees using their own resources (secreted from wax-producing glands)?

Sorry if those questions do sound strange -- I am not a professional, just an avid honeycomb lover. I'd like to know what is exactly what I'm purchasing.. asked the beekeepers I purchase the comb honey from, but they didn't provide me with a clear answer.

Thanks in advance!


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

While bees can and do build comb entirely on their own using wax produced by glands on their bodies most of the time beekeepers supply bees with a thin sheet of wax "foundation" which is embossed with the familiar honeycomb shape to encourage them to build comb where we want it. Comb honey foundation is even thinner than usual. The beekeeper should not have any problem telling you if his comb is built on foundation or is foundationless.

I hope this is helpful.


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## gjt (Jul 24, 2014)

... using wax produced by glands on their bodies _*some*_ beekeepers supply bees...



David LaFerney said:


> While bees can and do build comb entirely on their own using wax produced by glands on their bodies most of the time beekeepers supply bees with a thin sheet of wax "foundation" which is embossed with the familiar honeycomb shape to encourage them to build comb where we want it. Comb honey foundation is even thinner than usual. The beekeeper should not have any problem telling you if his comb is built on foundation or is foundationless.
> 
> I hope this is helpful.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

the beekeeper should be able to tell you whether they are using foundation or not, but where the "iffy" part comes in, is that they might be using foundation in other parts of the hive and just not in the super for cut comb honey. But they bees are known to rework beeswax from other areas of the hive, so it's possible that they could move foundation wax up to the cut comb super.

From talking to the beekeepers in my local clubs, most all of them use foundation, if they are producing honey because the bees get to making the honey faster if they don't have to construct the honeycomb first. Very few of us are totally foundationless. I run only top bar hives, so I am foundationless. But even then, I can't control where my bees forage so it would be possible to get some contaminants in my wax. Less likely though compared to hives that purchase foundation, which is recycled wax from lots of beekeeping sources.


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## nlk3233 (May 19, 2014)

A thing to note if you are a stickler about quality, you may want to qualify your source if they are using foundation(from this the bees build off of) or foundationless. Typically foundation is made from poor quality wax that cannot be used in cosmetics and such. Not all suppliers, but most. These can include a ****tail of chemicals of any range that the mix is made from.

If you are getting the wax from a treatment-free beekeeper you could feel great about the wax if they are foundationless.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>The comb honey is made entirely by the bees, or do beekeepers use some bleached beeswax base?

Both are done. Most seem to use thin surplus foundation. Some are doing foundationless.

>How exactly does it work -- do bees build the comb using the wax given them by their beekeeper

Yes, if they give them foundation.

> or each comb honey was made by the bees using their own resources (secreted from wax-producing glands)?

Yes, if they don't give them foundation.


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## honeylover (Sep 12, 2014)

Thank you all!

You've been very helpful!


Where can I purchase foundationless comb honey?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

From a foundationless beekeeper...


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## honeylover (Sep 12, 2014)

Michael Bush said:


> From a foundationless beekeeper...


Where to find a foundationless beekeeper who also doesn't use pesticides?..

Maybe there is one on this forum?..


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

honeylover said:


> Where to find a foundationless beekeeper who also doesn't use pesticides?..
> 
> Maybe there is one on this forum?..


honeylover, how about you keeping some bees?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Maybe there is one on this forum?.. 

There are several hundred, I'm pretty sure. Now you need to find one near you...


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## honeylover (Sep 12, 2014)

ruthiesbees said:


> honeylover, how about you keeping some bees?


Thanks I'm thinking about it, maybe one day...


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## honeylover (Sep 12, 2014)

Michael Bush said:


> >Maybe there is one on this forum?..
> 
> There are several hundred, I'm pretty sure. Now you need to find one near you...


I emailed to some local beekeepers club members, but didn't get any replies yet..

Also, I'm okay with ordering online, so I goggled and googled and googled.. but didn't find anyone who is foundationless and "natural" and who sells online..


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

It's kind of a pain to sell honey online anyway due to shipping costs etc. Then comb honey is more prone to geting broken and melting in the heat etc. You'll probably have better luck if you find someone local.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

I have ordered online from localharvest.com for liquid honey. A quick check today showed 2 vendors with cut comb honey. They don't specifically list how they manage the comb but maybe there is a way to contact them and ask.


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