# Mold on beeswax, still okay to process?



## Hogback Honey

Have my wax in a bucket, still sitting in a paint strainer. I cleaned it a few weeks ago, got busy and could not melt it right away. Still havent melted it, but looked at it tonight and there is some mold on it. I've 3 different colors of wax, the light stuff from cappings, the more golden stuff and I've some brood comb wax. The lighter and golden dont have too much mold, very little, but the darker stuff has the most. I'm gonna process it anyway, but just looking for opinions, or someone that's, "Been there, done that."


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## My-smokepole

I would melt away and clean it up. Maybe not use in lotions and such thing but for every day use it is fine. I sel a bunch to blacksmiths that was manly very old brood comb.


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## rookie2531

I would like to know too, but with some of mine has old dead brood, pollen and whatever else. Just various burr comb and some FL that got hit with wax moths too. I keep it in a large jar, after setting out a few days to let them Rob what they want, I ball it an throw it in a jar. It smells bad and want to know if that all comes out during process.


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## Bees of SC

I built 2 solar wax melters, one that I can put a frame with Bad foundation in that filters in to a pail, #2 can bee the same size, but is smaller. After the old wax is melted you put it in the small one, filtered through a painter cloth ,,comes out nice. With the melter in the yard you can put the wax in when you fine it,,no saving till it moles and it is ready when you need it..Just What I Do.
The bigger, 1st one, is filtered with # 8 screen on to window screen in to pail.. It even works with brood, wax moth or what ever foundation, no more heat, building a fire or making the kitchen not.....


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## Phoebee

I had some really disgusting looking old dark comb, age unknown, from several nucs I had bought or been given. After a season, the bees had made their own, and I set aside the old stuff. At some point it got wet and moldy.

I had been melting burr comb and the leftovers from a couple of crush and strain exercises, to make utility wax for brushing new foundation, etc. I finally tried this with the old dark frames. I couldn't even get them to melt down. A little wax came out but there was so much solid material I couldn't get it to settle out.

Just got back from the county fair, where I looked over the beeswax entries. One of our friends got best in show for a big block that must have at least 6x as much wax in it as I've ever accumulated. I have a ways to go.


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## Tenbears

Phoebee said:


> I had some really disgusting looking old dark comb, age unknown, from several nucs I had bought or been given. After a season, the bees had made their own, and I set aside the old stuff. At some point it got wet and moldy.
> 
> I had been melting burr comb and the leftovers from a couple of crush and strain exercises, to make utility wax for brushing new foundation, etc. I finally tried this with the old dark frames. I couldn't even get them to melt down. A little wax came out but there was so much solid material I couldn't get it to settle out.
> 
> Just got back from the county fair, where I looked over the beeswax entries. One of our friends got best in show for a big block that must have at least 6x as much wax in it as I've ever accumulated. I have a ways to go.


And your point is? Now that we know about YOU Is the wax usable or not?


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## Tenbears

Hogback Honey said:


> Have my wax in a bucket, still sitting in a paint strainer. I cleaned it a few weeks ago, got busy and could not melt it right away. Still havent melted it, but looked at it tonight and there is some mold on it. I've 3 different colors of wax, the light stuff from cappings, the more golden stuff and I've some brood comb wax. The lighter and golden dont have too much mold, very little, but the darker stuff has the most. I'm gonna process it anyway, but just looking for opinions, or someone that's, "Been there, done that."


 It depends on how you melt it. If you tank melt with a heater the mold will still be in the wax, no matter how you skim it. If you use a solar melter where the wax can be melted out of the comb and run down to a container leaving the casings and mold behind it will be fine. the mold is feeding on sugars left behind in the honey.


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## Phoebee

Tenbears said:


> And your point is? Now that we know about YOU Is the wax usable or not?


Got no wax off of it. Not usable.


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