Warning

NEVER ATTEMPT TO RENDER COMBS INSIDE A BUILDING WITH ANYTHING EXCEPT STEAM HEAT.

Many beekeepers have burned down their homes and honey houses by rendering combs indoors using various types of burners, and wax, once ignited spreads as it burns and makes an extremely hot fire that is difficult to put out.

ings to make vinegar. Larger beekeepers will use an uncapping tank with a screen on the bottom (a catalog item. )

Then take any available pot, kettle or tank and fill it about half full of water and pile in a reasonable amount of cappings and heat to about 190 degrees. NEVER BOIL CAPPINGS! If you raise the temperature much above 190 degrees, the cappings will become discolored from elements in the tank, propolis, etc. If you boil the cappings, the wax is quite liable to boil over, possibly starting a fire and surely losing much wax. Wax melts at about 147 degrees so you will not save much time by heating over 190 degrees.

When the cappings are completely melted, ladle off the wax which will float on top of the water and pour it into casting containers you have provided. A flaring tin milk pail is the best container. The inside of the container should be smooth and free of dents, rings, etc. so that the cake will slip out easily. Many large beekeepers cut the tops off of used five-gallon square honey cans for this purpose. Let the containers stand until cool. If the cake of wax does not slip right out, do not jam and beat the container, but set it in a tub of boiling water for a few minutes. This will melt it free. If there is any dirt or mushy wax on the bottom of the cakes, scrape it off down to solid wax.

Rendering Large Lots Of Cappings

If you are not using a capping melter, and whether you have large or small amounts of cappings to handle, the best thing is to place them on a screen and let them drain overnight or longer if possible, in a very warm room. A temperature up to 100 degrees or even higher would be ideal. Wash the cappings in warm water and save the wash

How To Prepare Wax For Fair Displays

Judges at fairs like solid cakes of wax that are smooth and clean without any cracks. The secret in casting solid cakes without cracks is to melt the wax, taking care not to get the temperature over 190 degrees. When completely melted, let it cool down to about 155 degrees, pour into your casting pans, and cover with several thicknesses of newspaper or corrugated carton material so it will cool very slowly. Let stand until the pans are cold. Use cappings wax for light colored wax cakes.

Market For Beeswax

The best market for your beeswax is the bee hive factories that use it in the manufacture of bee comb foundation. They buy beeswax direct from the beekeeper in any amount from one pound up, at any season of the year.

The best manner of shipping beeswax is in a double burlap bag tied shut with wire, such as baling wire. Cartons, wooden boxes and barrels are no better shipping containers and weigh considerably more. Never wrap your cakes in paper or separate the cakes with sawdust, straw or excelsior because this adds weight and gives trouble at the factory.

Before making a shipment of wax, write the factory asking for the market price both in cash and trade and ask for shipping tags, telling them about how much you have to offer. Small lots can be best shipped by parcel post while lots of 40 pounds and up normally go cheaper by railroad freight.

The market price of beeswax varies greatly. During hard times in 1932 the market price was 8 to 10 cents per pound, while during a period of shortage in 1957 the price rose to 60c. There are a great many synthetic and natural waxes competing for the wax market; some very fine synthetic waxes having qualities similar to beeswax selling for less than 20c per pound. Do not buy any bargain priced wax from dealers because this may not be beeswax.

Bee hive factories normally pay 2c more per pound for beeswax in trade for any supplies needed, but a better deal yet for the beekeeper who has 25 pounds or more of wax is to have it manufactured into comb foundation. Wax in amounts of 25 pounds and more is processed by the bee hive factories into comb foundation on a working basis similar to a farmer taking grain to a grist mill and having it processed into meal and flour. A very substantial saving may be made by this practice rather than selling your wax and buying the foundation for cash.