Is burying wax alternative to incinerator?

[elainemary]

Thank you all for your answers.

Does anyone know if we’re allowed to dispose of our old combs in compost bins in the UK?

I’ve just found out from beesource.com that composting is many American beekeepers’ preferred method of disposing of old combs. Here’s the link: https://www.beesource.com/threads/what-to-do-with-old-dark-brood-comb.359241/

You could scrape / cut out old brood wax and compost, though I’d bury it in the compost pile so not to attract bees. Can then either recycle the frames or use for kindling, just need to think about the wires in the frames.

I used to steam my brood frames to recover wax but it tends to be v dirty compared to super wax and never cleans well enough afterwards to use for candles. So on balance, found the effort outweighs the benefits of recycling old brood combs. I’ve stopped doing it and trading in due to concerns about any residual chemicals from varroa treatment as well, preferring to keep these out of future wax recycled by the manufacturers for other beekeepers / bees. Now I just burn old darker brood frames.

I do recover all super wax and cappings as love making candles

 

[Erichalfbee]

Elaine, that will clean up. You just have to be persistent and use lint or something as fine.

 

[pargyle]

Your wax looks a nice colour - is it cappings wax rather than brood?

It's just a mix of the two that I put through the wax melter, filtered initally through two layers of J-cloth. That block hasn't been fine filtered yet - I would expect it to be a little more creamy yellow after the next stage. I've got quite a few kilos of wax stored that I need to get on and clean but I tend to do it outside rather than risk domestic conflict doing it in the kitchen ! I have a small two ring electric hob (thank you Lidl) which I use for wax melting but I need a decent weather window.

 

[mdotb]

Thank you all for your answers.

Does anyone know if we’re allowed to dispose of our old combs in compost bins in the UK?

I’ve just found out from beesource.com that composting is many American beekeepers’ preferred method of disposing of old combs. Here’s the link: https://www.beesource.com/threads/what-to-do-with-old-dark-brood-comb.359241/

If by “compost bins” you mean in household waste collection I suggest you ask your local council as they all have different composting facilities and may have different rules. If you mean putting it in your own compost in your garden I can’t see what rules would “allow” or “not allow” that - it would be a question of what’s suitable for you in terms of how long they take to usefully break down in the conditions you have in your compost (usually not as hot or active as large scale composters or digesters). The suggestion to bury / cover over either the comb, or the resulting cocoons and slumgum after wax recovery, if putting in home compost, seems sensible.

Finally, the answers here assume that the comb is simply old (hence several people suggesting ways of recovering the wax) - comb subject to a destruction order (E.g. due to notifiable disease) must be burned according to the instructions of the order/inspector. I’m not suggesting this is the case for you, just making sure that advice on “compost instead of burning” is in the right context.

 

[ericbeaumont]

old combs

Brood or super?

 

[Boston Bees]

I bag up old comb and put it in the black wheely bin, after which the council incinerate it. Job done.

Definitely wouldn't put it in a home compost bin - too much risk of attracting unwanted attention (and what if it's carrying some kind of disease?)

Definitely won't be accepted in any kind of council "garden waste" or "food waste" bin.

 

[JamezF]

Definitely wouldn't put it in a home compost bin - too much risk of attracting unwanted attention (and what if it's carrying some kind of disease?)

I honestly don't believe it would be a problem as long as the bin is of a reasonable size and gets hot enough. Heat is the important thing as far as preventing disease from spreading, but time works in one's favour too. A few hours at 60°C will kill off most things, but if you can only manage 40°C then a few weeks may well serve the same purpose. That sort of temperature is quite possible to achieve at home depending on the circumstances and the mix of materials that go into the bin. Those common round plastic bins aren't particularly good for retaining heat though; something around a metre cube made from old pallets works far better. It also makes it easy to put "iffy" stuff "in" the compost rather than "on" it -- dig a hole in the top, put the new material in the hole and cover it back over. I quite happily put animal carcasses in my compost. Given a couple of weeks in a hot compost pile there's almost nothing left that you'd recognise.

I'd not just throw waste comb in the top of a plastic bin, certainly. I've collected swarms from them so some are clearly not bee tight.

James

 

[Pembroke]

I've never tried using perspex as the lid - but if that is the only difference (and you are in the same sort of climate as me down here in Fareham) it's the one thing you can change and see if things improve.

I really want to build a stand that allows the melter to be rotated as the sun moves round so I can use it on the days that are less sunny and the sun is lower in the sky but in summer, when the sun is high in the sky, it's not a problem

An old clock works powered rotation so it follows the sun?

 

[Pembroke]

The wax exchanges run by the bigger manufacturers (Thornes / Maisemores etc) don't seem to be too picky as to what the wax looks like. A member of our association took in some that was khaki in colour and Thornes were quite happy to exchange it for new foundation.

 

[pargyle]

An old clock works powered rotation so it follows the sun?

I like that idea but I'm not sure my mechanical ability is up to it ! I was thinking more of a platform that will pivot that I can turn once an hour as the sun moves ...bit low tech but open to plans if someone has made a (simple) mechanical one !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I like that idea but I'm not sure my mechanical ability is up to it ! I was thinking more of a platform that will pivot that I can turn once an hour as the sun moves ...bit low tech but open to plans if someone has made a (simple) mechanical one !

you need an old office swivel chair.

 

[pargyle]

you need an old office swivel chair.

Funny you should say that ,,,, I had the base of one in the garage and I got fed up of falling over it and it went to the scrapman when I got rid of a load of metal .... isn't it always the case ... get rid of stuff and before you know it - you have a use for it !

 

[Marilyn J]

Hi
I don’t have have an incinerator. Would burying old combs be ok in terms of getting rid of them? I’m assuming that one shouldn’t just dispose of them in household bins, but I don’t know.
Also, is there a place/company where beekeepers take old combs to be incinerated in the South East?
Thanks

I use a solar wax melter on the 2 days a year when it's hot enough in Wales! Just a polystyrene box, alumininium tray and old window I picked up at the tip. The cocoons that are left make brilliant fire lighters.