The Art of Rendering Beeswax: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hello again, Sweet Friends!

Can you believe we are halfway through December already? Time is sure flying! Today is National "I Love Honey Day". We have a special for today only- 10% off all our honey plus a free "I Love Honey" sticker to celebrate.

This week we thought we would talk about something we are selling a lot of at this time of year- beeswax products. Here at Fingerlakes Honey Company, we’re not just passionate about honey—we're also committed to making the most of every gift the hive provides. Beeswax, a byproduct of honey production, is a versatile material with countless uses, from candles to balms, and even ornaments. Today, we’d like to share how we render beeswax on our farm and some of the benefits of using this incredible natural resource. So grab your coffee or tea, sweetened with our honey of course, and let's get cozy by the fireplace and read this week's blog.

Why Render Beeswax?

Beeswax is produced by honeybees to build their honeycomb, which houses honey and brood. When we harvest honey, we end up with wax cappings and other bits of wax that can be rendered and purified. Rendering is the process of melting the raw wax, removing impurities, and filtering it to produce a clean, usable product. Pure beeswax can be used for a variety of DIY projects, including making candles, natural cosmetics, and furniture polish. Plus, it has a pleasant honey scent that brings a bit of the hive into your home.

The Rendering Process

Rendering beeswax is relatively simple albeit a bit messy, but it requires patience and care to get the best results. Here's how we do it at Fingerlakes Honey Company:

1. Collect and Prepare the Wax

The first step is to gather all the beeswax from honey extraction. This often includes wax cappings, leftover comb, or small bits from the frames. It's important to clean out as much honey and debris as possible before rendering. We always let the ladies remove any lingering honey, pollen, or propolis after our autumn harvest. They make the best cleaner-uppers! We prefer to keep the beeswax from cappings (see The Sweet Journey of Honey Extraction) separate from brood comb wax as the cappings are not as dirty and make for better products.

2. Melt the Wax

Once cleaned by the bees, the wax needs to be melted. We place the wax in a large pot of water. We then gently heat it on our outside grill, just to be safe. When all the wax has melted, we pour the contents of the pot into a 5 gallon bucket and let it cool overnight.

3. Scrape the Wax

The next day, we check our buckets. The amazing thing about wax is that it floats. As it solidifies, it forms a beautiful golden block of beeswax floating on the water. Any leftover impurities will settle at the bottom of the container. However, there is usually debris stuck to the bottom of the wax block, allowing you to scrape them off easily. We scrape off anything with our hive tool and then we repeat step #2 until we feel the wax is really clean. We may even use cheesecloth or some other type of strainer if the wax is really dirty (like the brood comb wax). You would bee surprised how dirty some wax can be. So 3 or more melts and cleanings is not uncommon.

4. Pour & Cool

After our final cleaning, when we feel we have gotten the beeswax as clean as possible, we pour the melted wax (no water) into manageable blocks and let the liquid wax cool. The smell of beeswax is amazing. It's like you are right there in the hive!

5. Use or Store the Beeswax

Once solid, the beeswax is ready to use. We store blocks of beeswax for future products and our own personal use. The process for most of our products involves melting the beeswax (not in water) and pouring it into molds. It takes some practice and the right conditions to get the perfect candle or ornament It's a fun way to use everything the bees give us- nothing goes to waste (well, except for the debris that we took out of the wax. Yuck!) Honey bees are truly amazing creatures that provide so much for us.

6. Beeswax Products

Beeswax is incredibly versatile, and at Fingerlakes Honey Company, we love turning it into all kinds of products. Candles made from beeswax burn longer and cleaner than paraffin, with a subtle honey scent that fills the room. We also craft blackened beeswax ornaments, which add a rustic charm to any space, perfect for holiday decorations or year-round décor. In the realm of skincare, our bee-uty products, such as bee-rd balms, waxes, and salves, combine beeswax with nourishing oils for a natural, protective barrier that keeps skin soft and hydrated. They are so popular, we can't keep them in stock. Beeswax melts are another favorite, offering a flameless way to enjoy the warm scent of honey in your home. Lastly, beeswax nuggets/thread conditioner are a handy item to have around the home- used it as a thread conditioner, a hidden gem for crafters—it strengthens and smooths thread, making sewing projects easier and more durable. They are also really handy for stuck drawers, zippers, and much more. Each of these creations highlights the amazing potential of beeswax and adds a touch of nature to everyday life. We look forward to crafting more things in the future as our beesness grows.

A Timeless Craft

Rendering beeswax is a time-honored practice that connects us to the bees and the natural world. It’s a way to respect and fully utilize the hard work that bees put into their hive, and it adds an element of sustainability to our beekeeping process. At Fingerlakes Honey Company, we're proud to share this timeless craft with our customers and demonstrate how every part of the hive can be utilized. From the honey to the wax, our goal is to create natural, sustainable products that honor the hard work of our bees. Rendering beeswax is just one of the ways we connect with nature and bring a little bit of the hive into your home. Whether you're interested in learning more about beekeeping or want to try your hand at crafting with beeswax, we're always excited to share what we’ve learned.

Christmas Wishes

It's hard to bee-lieve it's that time of year again. We wish you much happiness and love as we begin the final week before Christmas and then a New Year. We thank you so much for your continued support of our small business. We are so blessed to have been given the task of tending the bees. Just as a heads up, we still have a few days left of our 12 Days of Christmas Deals, so don't miss out!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2025!

Until Next Year- Stay Sweet!

Tom and Stacie

Tom and Stacie, are co-owners of Fingerlakes Honey Company located in the bee-utiful Fingerlakes region of New York State. When they are not tending to all things bees, they enjoy spending time with their grown children, their dog, and lots of chickens on their homestead. They love learning more about the bees they foster and helping others to learn more about them as well.