# placing beeswax in a hive to help build comb?



## nathan-D (Dec 2, 2012)

Hi everyone,
I have about a pound of beeswax and was wondering if I placed some in a hive will it help the bees build comb faster, since they don't have to eat honey to make the wax?


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

They will indeed use a token amount of it sometimes, but not enough to make much difference. If the wax is thin expensive foundation, they seem to use a lot more of it than if is a chunk that is harder to work. One thing to remember is that bees of a certain stage of developement automatically produce wax whether festooned or not.


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## throrope (Dec 18, 2008)

After crush and strain, I leave the gooey wax out for the girls. They make off with every drop of honey, but always leave all the wax behind. I can't get the wax cleaner no matter how much work I do. I'm with Vance G, not going to make a difference.


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## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

throrope said:


> After crush and strain, I leave the gooey wax out for the girls. ...


 I mixed this with water, strain and make mead from this. Sergey


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## jdmidwest (Jul 9, 2012)

According to the biology of the bee, they produce the wax in glands that they use on the combs.

I don't think they have the capability to rework wax from one source and carry it to another location. Most other components of the hive, propolis, nectar, and pollen is carried on either the leg baskets or the honey gut. I have not seen a way for them to transport wax.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

They can rework it a little, but I'm not sure if they could build cells with it. They will reuse wax to cap honey.


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## TheBuzz (Feb 8, 2012)

Mine reuse burr comb ALWAYS !! I just put it on the bottom board and it's gone within a few hours.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

throrope said:


> After crush and strain, I leave the gooey wax out for the girls. They make off with every drop of honey
> 
> It is a very efficient way to spread AFB ( and more) to as many hives as possible - not recommended!


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## Bees In Miami (Nov 30, 2012)

If you are feeding back to your own uninfected hives, why the AFB concern? I understand if it is an unknown source, but knowing the source as your own, why a concern? 

I put the remnants of my crush and strains out for the girls to finish off...though I know the source of all my honey and wax. The girls pick this honey so clean, yet leave 99% of the wax behind. They leave the wax so clean even the ants aren't interested. (Nor are the bees!) Bottom line, I don't think the wax donation helps them a bit.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

"If you are feeding back to your own uninfected hives, why the AFB concern? I understand if it is an unknown source, but knowing the source as your own, why a concern? "

Are you sure there are no other bees withing flying distance attracted to your offering? I would not take the risk.


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## Bees In Miami (Nov 30, 2012)

max2...I am obviously missing some dumb and obvious thing....If I am feeding MY hives, MY cappings and crush remnants (within about 10 feet of my own hives), what am I missing? I never thought of AFB like herpes, spread by sharing the wrong parts...but again, I am a new bee dummy. Please share. Thanks.


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## nathan-D (Dec 2, 2012)

Thanks everyone. It seems that if you put out wax cappings and the girls leave the wax, there is probably no great benefit to adding wax to help them build comb faster.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

I watched my bees tear up comb last year and store it in gaps and spaces int eh hive. they then took it and rebuilt the comb with it. I watched them do this several times over when the comb was not just right for them. This was recently made comb as well so the wax was still soft. they would not touch wax I gave them to see if they would use it as well. My bees tore up frame after frame of comb to remove the fishing line I had used for the foundation sheet. eventually they got every line out of 20 frames. Rebuilt comes from sagging foundation etc. So I got to see this time and time again and I have little doubt that they did reuse wax that they chose to set aside. But just what made them choose what wax to reuse and what wax not to I don't know. I am interested in seeing if they continue to do this reworking of the comb this year or if the wax has hardened to the point they will not tear it out.


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

I have seen them use old wax from brood comb above the inner cover, they used just a little to make burr comb on the tops of frames directly under the hole, they did not carry around the hive.

I use plastic frames and apply a generous coat of wax with a small sponge roller, I belive they will use all I aplied and rework it into comb. It will also help them to accept/work the plastic frames quicker.


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## Daniel palmer (Jul 23, 2011)

we better not let our bees leave the hive they might be visiting the same flowers as the wild bees that might have AFB lol im joking


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Mine reuse burr comb ALWAYS !! I just put it on the bottom board and it's gone within a few hours. 

I can put dirt on the bottom board and it will be gone within a few hours too...


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## AramF (Sep 23, 2010)

I have never observed bees reuse wax, except in one situation, when building queen cells. In fact dipping the grafting frame in wax is a nice insurance for good queen cell walls.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

Bees In Miami said:


> max2...I am obviously missing some dumb and obvious thing....If I am feeding MY hives, MY cappings and crush remnants (within about 10 feet of my own hives), what am I missing? I never thought of AFB like herpes, spread by sharing the wrong parts...but again, I am a new bee dummy. Please share. Thanks.


AFB is worse then herpes ( AFB can not be cured as far as I'm aware)
The problem is that you are unlikely to only feed your bees. Other bees will also come to the table. M Bush says that all hives carry some AFB. In Australia it is illegal to feed honey in the open.
If you are 100% sure that your bees don't have AFB or any other disease and you are 100% sure that only your bees will feed from the cappings - no problem. I have simply learned that few things other then taxes and death are a 100% in this world and prvention in this case is very simple.


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

Michael Bush said:


> >Mine reuse burr comb ALWAYS !! I just put it on the bottom board and it's gone within a few hours.
> 
> I can put dirt on the bottom board and it will be gone within a few hours too...


Michael... That was my thought also. I just wasn't going to say it. 

cchoganjr


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## bobbarker (May 23, 2012)

max2 said:


> AFB is worse then herpes ( AFB can not be cured as far as I'm aware)


Herpes can't be cured either. It's the gift that keeps on giving.


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

bobbarker said:


> Herpes can't be cured either. It's the gift that keeps on giving.


The herpes virus will die out in the open like that, the AFB spores have been known to persist 40 years. The concern is that a bee from an infected hive close by will carry spores and leave them for your bees to carry home in any open feeding situation. AFB doesn't seem as wide spread as in the past and people seem to ignore the threat nowadays. My mentor, lead researcher at a USDA bee Lab in the 1970's, was very cautious about the spread of AFB and would not even bring a feral swarm home without prophylactic medication.....


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## psfred (Jul 16, 2011)

Two issues here, I think.

One, the wax inside the hive is warm and soft, so the bees CAN rework it. Bees aren't noted for super strong jaws, if the wax is a cold, hard lump they can't do much with it.

Two, fresh wax, even wax in fairly new comb, contains quite a bit of material that evaporates with time, making the wax harder. If you can smell it, it's exuding something volatile, after all. That means that new wax and old wax are not chemically the same, and I suspect old wax will not stick together well enough when manipulated by the bees to use for cells. Capping for brood is porous, unlike honey capping, so old wax works well there, and a mix of old and new wax will work well enough for the thick walls of queen cells (also porous, I think), but for brood or honey comb, only fresh wax will work.

Peter


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