# Q: How do you "make" extra beeswax?



## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

Most of that wax you see is from the cappings but some is from old unusable comb. Cappings wax is the most desirable because it is lighter in color and has less propolis in it that causes the wax to become more brittle.


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## bigbearomaha (Sep 3, 2009)

Also, those that use crush and strain have all that wax to work with as well.

Big Bear


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

I'm just curious what I can do to get wax...

The yield of wax varies by the number of frames per super, 10 vs 09, the honey flow, and how deep you cut the comb for extracting. A good honey flow will get the combs drawn out fully to the bottom bar.
Some people use a thiner top bar so that it's easier to cut the comb deeper for extracting and more wax/ton of extracted honey.
Ernie


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## berkshire bee (Jan 28, 2007)

TO get bees to draw out comb you need a couple of things. One is the need for more comb, either for the queen to lay eggs in or to store nectar and pollen. The other is a good flow or source of food. A swarm or a new package of bees will draw comb pretty fast providing there is food. That's one reason you feed sugar water to a new package put on foundation. As said above, if you do crush and strain you will have all of that wax to use. If you are just getting cappings it takes an awful lot of hives to get a good amount of wax.


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

By running less frames in the box you can harvest more cappings. We only run 8 frames in our supers. We don't do this for wax production per se, we do it to make uncapping with a machine easier and more efficient. The bees draw it out beyond the frame edges so the machine can uncap it easier, giving us more easily acquired wax than those extracting with 9 or 10 frames. 

Many beekeepers, if they want to make their own candles or other beeswax products in quantity will purchase additional wax. Many beekeepers don't want to bother with the beeswax and will sell theirs to those that do.
We sell quite a bit of beeswax and although we harvest a pretty fair amount every year from honey cappings during extracting, we still need to purchase additional beeswax from others. 
Sheri


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Do removals. You'll have more wax'n you'll know what to do with.


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## Jer733 (Oct 5, 2008)

Ben Brewcat said:


> Do removals. You'll have more wax'n you'll know what to do with.


Amen


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Using 8 frame spacing in your honey supers is a good way to start. I think I am getting upt to 2% weight of wax to honey. Can somebody confrim that?


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## garprob (Jan 20, 2009)

We have just two hive but saved all the burr comb and saved all the caps. Ended up with a little over a pound of wax last year. We have been using it to make hand and foot balm by melting it together with olive oil and lanolin. 1 pound doesnt seem like much but it sure makes a lot of foot balm.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I'd just do crush and strain and foundationless frames...

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm


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