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Honeybee colonies required a lot of feeding after the season. In normal seasons, bees store winter honey in the back frames in the hive, but this year stores were not at the same level as in good years.
The ling heather gave us a one-week wonder, with the temperatures in the low 20s and plenty of humidity. Conditions could not have been better. After that it was downhill, with much of the heather still to come into bloom.
The ivy is beginning to come into bloom and with luck could prove rewarding for strong colonies or beekeepers geared to collect a crop of this honey.
Throughout the beekeeping year, beekeepers remove wax combs that are old or damaged
Wax is a byproduct of beekeeping and has value. Much wax comes from honeycombs, which are old or damaged, while the honey extraction process produces excellent, clean, uncontaminated wax. This wax is known as “cappings” and comes from cutting off the wax covering from over the honey to expose it for extraction.
Throughout the beekeeping year, beekeepers remove wax combs that are old or damaged. This procedure operates as a disease control mechanism. Any combs removed are replaced with new sheets of wax containing the hexagon imprint, giving bees fresh wax to draw into comb. Wax in honeycombs will have its colour affected by hive products, such as pollen and propolis.
Wax sheets known as “foundation” are placed in frames and used in the beehive where bees draw out honeycomb cells.
The solar wax extractor is boxlike and consists of wood sidewalls, a floor and a removable glass roof
These cells may be used for brood production, honey or pollen storage. Recovered wax can be traded with bee equipment suppliers against the cost of buying new sheets of foundation. Beekeepers do not have to segregate their wax for trading against new wax sheets, but pristine wax may be kept separate for customers making creams.
Some beekeepers use solar wax extractors to melt their old wax into blocks for sale. The solar wax extractor is boxlike and consists of wood sidewalls, a floor and a removable glass roof. Inside consists of a tray to hold the honeycombs for melting and a collection tub for the molten wax. The tray for the honeycomb must be above the collection tub for liquid flow and collection.
The unit is set at an angle suited to collect as much sunlight as possible. Those of us using these were able to recover some of last year’s wax during the great summer days of the short-lived summer. It takes a good, warm, sunny day to melt wax in the solar extractor. As the wax becomes molten it is collected in a lunch box type container and allowed to solidify as it cools.
A solar wax extractor is easy and simple to make and within the capabilities of most beekeepers
The blocks of wax are washed in cold water to remove any adhering honey and any residues on the base are scraped away. There are other methods of wax recovery, which use special equipment and rely on an energy source.
A solar wax extractor is easy and simple to make and within the capabilities of most beekeepers. There is a sense of achievement when the unit is made and the first block of wax is produced. Such a piece of equipment is unlikely to lead to a major change in our environment, but it is the aggregation of small things that each person makes that will do so.
Recovered wax is traded or sold directly to beekeeping equipment suppliers. Specialist beeswax processors make rolls of wax with the hexagon cell imprint, which are then cut into sheets suitable for use in beehives.
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