Introduction
After nearly two weeks of subzero temperatures the thaw came yesterday with an almost balmy tropical breeze blowing through the apiary and melting the several inches of snow on hive roofs. A couple of bees braved strong winds today and took to the air. Fortunately, I’d only hung out a dark wash of mostly work clothes to dry, so if a few yellow specks appeared on them nobody would notice. The sweet box is flowering now with a delightful scent wafting across my path to the bee shed. The first snowdrop heads are tightly shut but stretching up on tall stems and waiting to open any day now.
I wonder how many of you recycle your apiary wax to make foundation? I make a big batch every couple of years. My system is a bit fiddly I but I need to know that my foundation is a pure as possible so I set aside a day and listen to an audiobook as I work. Supplies are low so I need to make a date soon and get on with it.
If you want to have a go but are not sure how to start you can follow Peter Thompson’s good advice in this week’s really useful ‘how-to’ guest blog. Peter lives not far from me in rural Nairnshire and is one of my friends from our local BroodMinder Nairn group monitoring hive temperatures. He is one of those fortunate beekeepers who is extremely practical and resourceful. He is curious and inventive and can make almost anything out of almost anything when it comes to beekeeping equipment. Thank you for sharing your skills and technique with us today, Peter, and for taking the time to put this post together.
Why Make It Yourself?
For me, one of the oddities in beekeeping is that so many beekeepers buy readymade wax foundation despite knowing that the wax used is sourced from other beekeepers in this country and elsewhere. At an early stage in beekeeping, I became concerned that despite the thorough processing the wax goes through, its mixed provenance means that there is a risk it might contain residues of chemicals that I would prefer not to be in contact with my bees or their honey.
Initially, I minimised this exposure by cutting full sheets of thin, unwired, commercial foundation into starter strips, and then allowing the bees to make comb from their own wax. As my stocks of this home-produced comb increased, gradually becoming old or damaged, I looked at ways to recycle it to produce my own foundation. I found that there are several ways to make it, but I chose one of the cheapest and simplest methods I could find. It is not a quick process; so, I find it a useful job to reserve for a housebound winter’s day. Also bear in mind that it is not particularly economical with wax.
I use a flexible, silicone mould, which is made from the same heatproof material that is used for baking liners and moulds. I shopped around and got mine from an online retailer for less than £20. It comes in two parts, with raised buttons on one sheet which achieve alignment by fitting into slots in the other. The bottom sheet has a slight lip around the perimeter which is to retain molten wax. I could only find one in Langstroth size, but when making foundation in National sizes this makes it less important to create perfect sheets, because they can be trimmed down afterwards.
Rendering wax is a separate craft, so I will assume that you have already mastered the art, have a good supply of clean wax, and that you know how to handle it safely.
The Process
The process is straightforward; molten wax is poured over the bottom part of the mould, the top part is rolled into place, the wax is allowed to cool, the mould is removed, and the finished foundation is revealed. Having made foundation this way for the last three years, I have encountered a few hiccups on the way. Should you decide to try out this technique, the following hints may help to speed up the learning process.
1.Temperature.
To spread across as much of the mould as quickly as possible, the wax needs to flow well and to stay fluid long enough to allow time to complete the process. Consequently, it needs to be as hot as possible, whilst not passing the temperature where its aroma and colour degrade, 65°C (150°F).
2. Spreading the wax.
For pouring the wax, I use a 400ml food can with a rudimentary spout made by nipping one side with a pair of pliers. You can buy commercially made scoops and jugs, and mine would be safer if it had a handle. To make a wax sheet big enough, it takes approximately half of a can of molten wax which needs to be poured quickly and evenly in front of the rolled back top half of the mould. The wax immediately starts to set, so you must keep a “front” of molten wax going as you swiftly roll the top part of the mould forwards. Mastery of this this part of the process took me a lot of attempts.
3. Although not strictly necessary, I use a pastry rolling pin over the top of the mould immediately after the wax has been covered. This evens out the thickness of the wax, and it may help to give the sheet some flexibility once it has set.
4. To speed up production, I then put the mould outside the kitchen door for a couple of minutes. For most of the year in Scotland this is enough to cool the wax down ready to remove from the mould. Some people might find it better to place it in the fridge; you may even be able to omit this stage.
5. After a few minutes, with the wax still slightly warm, you should be able to peel back the top sheet of the mould. When the mould is new, or if the wax is still too hot it may stick. But if the foundation gets totally messed up you can always melt it and start again. With the top of the mould removed, place the sheet face down, and carefully peel off the bottom of the mould.
6. The sheet of wax produced will need to be trimmed down to size. I have cut a template from thin plywood to the dimensions of a sheet of shallow National foundation. Whilst the new foundation is still pliable, with a sharp knife I trim the rough sheet as closely to this size as possible. I do not bother making sheets the right size for deeper frames and use the shallow size instead. This leaves a gap at the bottom of the frame for the bees to make their own decisions.
The foundation will generally be thicker than the commercial product and therefore has more strength. However, you may wish to increase its strength further using wires, and there are many explanations online of how to do this. Sometimes you will get areas that are blown out with holes, or which are uneven in other ways. I find this doesn’t matter and that the bees will sort it out for themselves. Bees seem to like the thick wax, and it is readily drawn into comb. If you want to economise with your precious resources, you can cut it into starter strips.
As happens with many beekeeping tasks, the frugality and self-sufficiency of making your own foundation is sweetly satisfying. You can couple this with the smug feeling that your bees have the best base material they could wish for. It is something that any beekeeper can do. If you eventually find it too time-consuming or messy, the investment is not too great; why not give it a try?
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Hi There, in last photo, your foundation is in frame, please tell me how do you fasten it in if not using wire- thank you
Hello Maryon. Thank you for reading the blog and sending in a question. This is Peter’s reply.
” I mainly use SN4 frames designed to fit a UK “National” box. On the top-bar, these have a thin, removable strip of wood. As long as the foundation or the strips are not being attached when the wax is brittle, their thickness allows you to press hard, to compress the wax slightly to create a friction-fit as you tap in three frame nails to resecure the strip.
I have heard that some people use molten wax as an adhesive, but I have tried that and found it messy and unsatisfactory. If you are using frames which have plain top-bars intended for use with wires, I think you would have to wire the frames, and then embed them electrically into the starter-strip. Any bare wires present will be incorporated by the bees into their new comb.”
Best wishes, Ann.