Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-07-09
Making Bees-wax.

Please tell me in your next paper The
best way to make bees-wax, as | have
lot of combs on hand and don't know
the proper way to get tie wax out.
- u. c.
NORTH MANCHESTER, IND, Dec. l !
1t is one Of the first principles OF bee
keeping, never to melt good combs. /
is estimated that it requires 90 pounds
of honey to make one pound of comb
or rather that the bees will store q
pounds Of honey, if the combs are
furnished them, in the same time tha
they would be in building one pound o.
comb. All good. clean worked comb
should be preserved in dry place tC
give to the new swarms they are tht
bee-keeper's stock in trade.
We have never made much bees-wax
yet we always save all scraps Of comb
and the scrapings from the under sides
of the surplus boxes, as we use no honey
board. In the summer time, to prevent
moths working upon it, we melt it as i
accumulates. When we wish TO marke
il. we melt together all the small cakes
purifying it again. We put the COMBS
in coarse sack, then put it into kettle
placing small stones upon it, and NIL VI
with water. If any of the sack rises tC
the surface of the water, more weights
are put upon it. 1t is then placed ovel
a moderate fire, and the wax viii sool
appear upon the surface OF the water
When we think the wax is all melted, We
set the kettle oil to cool when we re-
move the cake Of wax, we examiue TIC
sack and see if there is a2y more WAX
If there is, we throw out the water pu'
in some fresh, and put it over the lire
again. Some persons boil the combs IL
water without sack, dipping OIL the
old wax as it rises, and pouring 1t into
cold water. Prof. A. j. Cook, in his
Manual of the Apiary," says: LAS
these methods arc slow, wasteiul, an(
apt to give a poor quality of wax, spec
ialsts and even amateurs who keep az
many as ten or twenty colonies OF bees
may we'll procure a wax extractor
This is a foreign invention, the mrs
being made by Prof. Gerster, OF Berne
Switzerland. These cost from s. to 81
and are made of tin, arc very convenient
and admirable, and can be procured o.
any dealer in aplarian supplies.
By this invention, all the wax, even o.
the Oldest combs, can be secured in
beautiful condition, and as it is perfect
" neat, there is no danger OF provoking
the chest woman in the world, as We
are in danger Of doing by use Of
either of the above methods-for what
is more unhdy and perplexlng than t(
have wax boil over on the stove, an(
perhaps get on TO the floor, aud be gen
orally scattered about?"
Mr.. Porter, of Lewiston, H., seems t(
have q different opinion concernln!
these exlractors than the professor quo
ted above, When we were inspectn!
his apiary, we noticed p kettle (oi TN
paltern of Miles Standish's dianer pot
set in a small arch of mason work, VIII
A piece of pipe for hue. He sald' ~
once had an extractor, but | sold 1t VIII
a lot of bee traps, and can make more
wax i'll one day in that kettle than
man can make with an extractor II
five. We have barrel with water II
Il and coarse strainer fastened on thu
TOP. standing close TO the kettle, and al
fast as the wax is melted, dip into th'
barrel, and fill up again. 1t has to D'
melted again, and SO has the wax tina
is secured by using an extractor"
1t seems to us that if an aparlst use'
The combs to The best advantage l
would take a long time TO gather y
worth of wax. and not very paying IN
yestment to buy an extractor, excepting
where bees are kept on a magnllcen
scale. MRS. l'' H.
PEORIA, ILL,