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Rendering Bee Hive Cappings?

 
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I found a local beekeeper who was willing to part with his hive cappings so that I can render for high quality bees wax. I have processed about 40lbs in an old crock pot and have some great bees wax but have been left with a gallon or so of burnt honey. What can I use this honey for? Would it be a good soil amendment? Feed to my dogs or other animals? I have plenty of local raw honey that we consume so I don't think this is honey I would want to eat.
 
Posts: 65
Location: Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia
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I just water mine down and put it on the vege patch with some worm wee.
 
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Location: Cache Valley, zone 4b, Irrigated, 9" rain in badlands.
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We leave the honey in the yard, in a bucket with some screen or wood in it. The bees come and carry it back to their hives...

 
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JD - for future batches, I would recommend washing your cappings in cold water first to separate the honey from the wax. You end up with a thin slightly sweet liquid that can either be turned into mead or added to the compost depending.

Rendering in a pot is pretty much guaranteed to burn the wax slightly. When rendering you are looking for the lowest possible temperature to liquify it. Take a loot at some of the solar melters, they are very very good at cleaning wax and I wouldn't recommend any other method for cosmetics really.
 
Joseph Lofthouse
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Location: Cache Valley, zone 4b, Irrigated, 9" rain in badlands.
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We render in a double boiler... Thus keeping the heat low enough to not burn the wax nor the honey.
 
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