# Rendering Beeswax from Brood Frames



## ericweller (Jan 10, 2013)

All,
I have 3 year old brood frames that needed to be redrawn and had a grand idea that I would render the beeswax from the frames.
What a mess! I scraped the frames down and melted the pieces in a crock pot. The result was a mass of brood castings and very little beeswax. It was poured it into a paint strainer cloth and squeezed to get the wax out. I couldn't squeeze too hard because the stuff was pretty hot. For the 4 frames I attempted, I did not get that much wax.
Is this what I should expect or am I doing something wrong? Does everyone just pitch the brood wax and just render the honey frame wax and cappings?
Thanks!
Eric


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## jdmidwest (Jul 9, 2012)

There is some wax in it, filter it thru a screen first to remove cocoons first. Then strain thru cloth. But is usually dark wax.

Use the old brood comb in swarm traps, good scent for the box.


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

I melt everything in plenty of water, then set it outside to cool overnight. The wax will be in a disc on top of your container and most of the junk will be on the bottom. Then I remelt in a double broiler and gravity strain through cheesecloth. I got more wax like this than trying to squeeze it out right away


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## stan.vick (Dec 19, 2010)

I stopped melting the brood comb, just not worth the trouble. But if you do, cheryl1's method is the best.


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## KPeacock (Jan 29, 2013)

Cheryl has the best way to go described. I too have started to skip messing with old brood comb. it goes into swarm traps or makes for amazing fire starters


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

I give some of it to a cousin and she sends back beeswax lotions. It makes for a nice trade


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

stan.vick said:


> I stopped melting the brood comb, just not worth the trouble. But if you do, cheryl1's method is the best.


I have to agree. I use a fairly large boiler and place about 14 Full Size frames inside, boil up the water with the frames, shake off the rubbish.
I get fairly clean frames but very little wax. The quickest way to get the frames clean but the amount of wax is a disappointment


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

It takes many brood frames to make good wax.
I will put all these wax mix in with the other scrap wax into a
window screen bag and boil in the hot water in a pot. Then pour everything into
a 5 gal bucket to cool outside over night. The wax should float to the top.
A second melting should give you more clean wax to work with.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I have had good success using steam to render brood frames. There are several videos on YouTube on which piles of brood boxes are rendered using steam injected into the pile with a draining bottom board. The steam can be supplied by a wall paper stripper or heated tank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzkxq7qGqxQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxqqWKuSZtc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbx-Dv5iLmA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NJN0G4_oYM


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## ericweller (Jan 10, 2013)

Excellent information and videos. I use plastic foundation. Will the steam warp it?


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

>Will the steam warp it?
Yes


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

>Will the steam warp it?
More than yes.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

What little bit of wax is in old brood combs is soaked up by the cocoons. The only way I've gotten any of it (and still not much wax) is to put them in a cloth bag at the bottom of a pot of boiling water with a rock or a brick on the bag. The best is with steam and a press, but I've never had the money to spend on that. Walter T. Kelley used to sell the press (maybe still do, but I don't remember seeing it in their catalog in recent years). It would take an awful lot of old brood comb to get your money back on such an investment...


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## Ducklakefarms (May 18, 2015)

Does this separate out any residual honey too. Melted some in a double boiler n strained it but wondered what happened to the honey.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I've done it three ways. 1) Dump it in boiling water and stir it around until it's all mushy. Cool, scrape and repeat with filtering. 2) Put it into a paint strainer bag and put that into the boiling water. Squash it a lot with an old wooden spoon. Cool, scrape, etc. 3) Put it into a solar wax melter and let any running wax drip though an old t-shirt or heavy duty paper towel.

I like the third because it's simple and what wax you get ends up nearly finished. You do get wax left in the mess but considering the efforts of the other ways, it's not a bad trade-off. If it's winter, I boil if I don't want to wait (I did this winter because I was also in the shop making soap so I multi-tasked) but if it's a lot of brood comb, boiling is real work for me.


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