# clean wax?



## TheCrazyBeeMan (Oct 8, 2004)

I want to get wax without any residues in it so I have collected wax from dead feral colonies in tress and the like. This I am guessing would be the cleanest wax I can get at this point. I have wondered though since most of these hives are probably escapes from managed hives so wouldnt they take some residues with them in the honey they gorge then transfer it into the wax or this over thinking it? I have also though of buying organic wax but am unsure of what that would actually be. I have been looking and have seen something called pharmaceutical grade wax that goes for something like 24 dollars a pound is this chemical free wax or something else. The only reason is that I would like to do organic and use permacomb that is coated in clean wax to give the 4.9mm or less. Any help would be appreciated


----------



## louis1st (Oct 17, 2004)

I have read that swarming bees will take some wax with them, but i would expect this amount to be very small though... 
I guess they are more likely to take with them some "polluted" honey from their hive,and transform it into wax... I was also wondering if the transformation from honey to wax actually would clean the wax?? 

What can actually be classified as "organic wax" more precisely? Do you have an official description you could let us have??


I think organic wax would come from Africa or maybe South America where colonies are still kept like centuries ago.


----------



## TheCrazyBeeMan (Oct 8, 2004)

I guess organic wax would be that witch is just wax and nothing else. I was thinking that when the bees use the honey the residue may just become a waste product and be voided as normal or maybe it builds up in the bees like poisons build up in our liver and therefore is removed from the colony as those bees die off. I have though of just taking 4 or 5 pounds/with queen of bees from some of my hives that have never been treated then creating new colonies and just feeding white sugar or honey to the hive and collect as much wax as possible I just need enough to coat permacomb frames down to the right size. I have talked to others and they say that when a frame reaches the small cell size the bees exhibit reduced vigour and lowered production. My though on this is that these frames are in the brood chamber and have been exposed to multiple treatments and has through saturation of contaminates become the reason for reduced vigour and production and not the cell size as they state. The only way I can prove otherwise is to show them different in the field.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>IThis I am guessing would be the cleanest wax I can get at this point.

I agree.

>I have wondered though since most of these hives are probably escapes from managed hives so wouldnt they take some residues with them in the honey they gorge then transfer it into the wax or this over thinking it?

If it's the cleanest wax you can get, and I think it is, then it's the cleanest wax you can get. What's to think about?

>I have also though of buying organic wax but am unsure of what that would actually be.

I would be concerned about what it would actually be also. A lot of "organic" people are using all sorts of things you may not want in your wax like essential oils or FGMO etc.

>I have been looking and have seen something called pharmaceutical grade wax that goes for something like 24 dollars a pound is this chemical free wax or something else.

It's been tested for residues and the fall below some predetermined amount. It's way to expensive to be practical. Why not let the bees make the wax and you'll KNOW what's in it to as much degree as is possible in this pesticide ridden world.

>The only reason is that I would like to do organic and use permacomb that is coated in clean wax to give the 4.9mm or less. Any help would be appreciated

It won't be less. More like 4.95mm. But it's a good plan. In the end you get it as clean as you can and go with it.

You can only do what you can do.


----------



## TheCrazyBeeMan (Oct 8, 2004)

Thats about what i though thanks for the help


----------

