going rate for rendered wax?

[jeff33]

Hi all, does anyone know what is the going rate with bee equipment suppliers for rendered wax please? I guess it's horses for courses but I have a few kilos and wondering whether I would be better off swapping it for foundation at the Welsh Show next weekend or make candles or other beeswax stuff and flog them (if I have the time and patience).

 

[JamezF]

When I looked about six months back it seemed a very poor rate of exchange to me. I think I probably have around 30kg sitting about. I may make some candles and other beeswax products, but initially I think I'll use some of it to make starter strips for frames. They probably don't even need any kind of hexagonal imprint.

Another possibility might be to clean the wax up and sell it on for craft use.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi all, does anyone know what is the going rate with bee equipment suppliers for rendered wax please? I guess it's horses for courses but I have a few kilos and wondering whether I would be better off swapping it for foundation at the Welsh Show next weekend or make candles or other beeswax stuff and flog them (if I have the time and patience).

Not sure what the wax exchange is at the convention (check on Maisemore's website - they give the best rate)
Gruffudd Rees (Gwenyn Gruffudd) just up the road from me is giving £13.00 per kilo for clean wax suitable for candles if you fancy a spin to Dryslwyn

 

[Jimmy]

Not sure what the wax exchange is at the convention (check on Maisemore's website - they give the best rate)
Gruffudd Rees (Gwenyn Gruffudd) just up the road from me is giving £13.00 per kilo for clean wax suitable for candles if you fancy a spin to Dryslwyn

That's better than Abelo at £5/kg for goods, £4/kg cash.

 

[jeff33]

That's better than Abelo at £5/kg for goods, £4/kg cash.

That's for crude wax rather than rendered though.

. I may make some candles and other beeswax products

I have been thinking of it but that's another thing to do on top of all the others.

 

[Into the lions den]

Not sure what the wax exchange is at the convention (check on Maisemore's website - they give the best rate)
Gruffudd Rees (Gwenyn Gruffudd) just up the road from me is giving £13.00 per kilo for clean wax suitable for candles if you fancy a spin to Dryslwyn

That is about the going rate to candle making companies for rendered clean block wax (they melted filter and dry it again anyway so 'showbench shiny' not needed).

Makes the 2 for 1 'straight swap' deals seem very expensive.... Even at 12.00/kg, at 2kg wax for 1kg foundation in exchange, it makes a standard sheet of BS brood (16.5 sheets per kg) cost 1.45 even before wiring. Ouch!. Nice business...for the foundation supplier.

 

[jeff33]

I will try to sell candle making as a new hobby my better half should take up

 

[Swarm]

I will try to sell candle making as a new hobby my better half should take up

The problem with candles is the moulds cost a bomb so it becomes a tediously slow process waiting for them to set before you can do another batch.

 

[ericbeaumont]

a tediously slow process

I found that dipped candles were sensitive to slight fluctuations of temperature and gave up making them in autumn or winter, and determined to use summer for more reliable results. Thing is, time in summer does not really exist. Moulds much easier, but as you say, multiples needed.

clean wax suitable for candles

Worth keeping cappings wax separate as you may get higher retail price for use in making hand-creams and so on, though total absence of trace chemicals is almost impossible. Tests a few years ago on wax from a US organic treatment-free beekeeper (many miles from anywhere) showed chemical traces.

 

[Swarm]

These 500g blocks are all from cappings wax only.

 

[jeff33]

These 500g blocks are all from cappings wax only.

I have a 5kg block of wax cappings. I may remelt into 100Gr blocks and sell them that way using the lesser quality one for candles.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have a 5kg block of wax cappings. I may remelt into 100Gr blocks and sell them that way using the lesser quality one for candles.

someone in Swansea looking to buy small quantities of clean wax - Martin sent an email to members a couple of days ago.

 

[Pembroke]

The problem with candles is the moulds cost a bomb so it becomes a tediously slow process waiting for them to set before you can do another batch.

You can buy silicone or latex to make your own moulds from a lot of craft suppliers.

 

[Newbeeneil]

You can buy silicone or latex to make your own moulds from a lot of craft suppliers.

Yes Wilco makes his own using silicone.

 

[Swarm]

I went with a silicone mould to make foundation instead, may as well put the wax to good use.

 

[jeff33]

I went with a silicone mould to make foundation instead, may as well put the wax to good use.

I like the idea, it's just the time to do it all I am lacking!!

 

[Cuckmere couple]

Gruffudd Rees (Gwenyn Gruffudd) just up the road from me is giving £13.00 per kilo for clean wax suitable for candles if you fancy a spin to Dryslwyn

this is the fella in the BBC news today re bees and AMR?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

this is the fella in the BBC news today re bees and AMR?

yes, they must be a bit short of news stuff at the moment - this is all old news, they've been doing research on honey's anti microbial properties in Cardiff for years now - I remember them asking all Welsh beekeepers to donate honey samples for testing over six years ago

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes I sent some. Wasn’t there an interest in bluebells one time?
I have two buckets of dandelion honey. I’ll hang on to them

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Wasn’t there an interest in bluebells one time?

yes, they found that seemed to be the active common denominator on the more anti microbial honeys they tested. The one sample actually scored higher than manooky in the tests, it was from Towyn on the Cardigan bay coast (interesting, as another sampled in a Scottish survey which came out top was from Portobello on the East coast of Scotland) Unfortunately the magical bee colonies from Towyn were owned by an anti treater and the following winter, the whole apiary died out.