How to Make Beeswax Foundation
Beeswax is a natural secretion made by the honeybees and is used by the bees to build up their honeycombs. If you are keeping bees in a bee farm, you will need to maintain the honeycomb including the use of beeswax in the construction. Beeswax foundations are sheets of beeswax that are formed to mimic beehives and used to line the bottom of bee boxes. The foundations allow the bees to build up their home themselves.
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Things You'll Need
- Foundation mold press
- Liquid release agent
- Dish soap
- Soft brush
- Melted beeswax
- Blunt knife
- Pizza cutter
Instructions
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1
Wet both sides of the mold using release agent then pour a cup of dish soap over the agent. Gently work the soap into the mold with a soft brush then rinse the soap off with more agent. They should be very wet.
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2
Wet the frame surrounding the mold surfaces and check if the mold is still wet. Add more agent if the mold feels dry at all. Pour the excess agent off the mold and back into the container.
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3
Pour the melted beeswax into the bottom half of the mold press until the mold is full. Gently close the lid of the press as quickly as possible without disturbing the beeswax.
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4
Lift the press open after 30 seconds to 1 minute. The wax should be firm like a cheese when you open the press all the way.
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5
Pull one corner of the press beeswax away from the mold and peel the entire sheet off so you can lay the foundation out to cool off. Use a blunt knife to help remove the beeswax if it sticks to the mold.
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6
Trim the edges of the foundation down to the correct size using a pizza cutter. You can reuse the wax that you cut off the foundation.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep the trimmed beeswax into a container and add it together with your fresh beeswax before each foundation pressing.
Do not touch the melted beeswax directly with your hand or you can burn yourself.
References
- Photo Credit humble-bee bumble-bee insect image by Pali A from Fotolia.com
