Blog Buzz

Buzzzzz

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WELCOME TO FRIENDS HILL APIARY’S BLOG

It is here that we will share what we can when we can. There are so many friends & families that have taken an interest in our beekeeping endeavors since we began and it has been so much fun for us to share with all of them many the parts to our journey. Most people seem to enjoy our beekeeping experiences from the far-away sideline, but there have been a few along the way that have taken up a serious enough interest to take the flight and join the Beekeeper’s enthusiasm. We hope that you will BUZZ around our site and visit often.

Thanks for visiting and we hope you will visit again soon!

Beautiful Beloved Beeswax

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Beeswax is a highly desirable natural substance that can only be produced by honey bees. It is the young honeybees that are between the age of 12-20 days old who are able to make it. Young honey bees have 8 mirroring glands on either side of their abdomens from which the beeswax is secreted in sheets. The honey bees remove those sheets of wax and work them into a pliable medium which is then used for building Queen cells, brood rearing cells as well as food storage cells. The nurse bees also cover the developing brood with beeswax to finish their metamorphosis. Honey also gets a wax capping once all of the water content is evaporated from the nectar and it becomes “honey”. The wax capping protects the honey from pathogens and fermentation. Repairs around the hive are also made with beeswax.

Beeswax shrinks approximately 9.6% as it changes from liquid to solid.

Wax Bloom is a term that is often questioned. It is a whitish coating that appears on solid blocks of beeswax and candles. It is not harmful and will not retard the performance of a candle or other products. Bloom is thought to be caused by molecules rearranging causing the “bloom” to come to the surface. Sometimes it will increase over time and makes a product look frosted. Candle consumers often find the bloom desirable during the winter holidays especially, as it adds to the frosty-like season. Wax bloom can be removed easily by gently rubbing with a soft cloth, warming slightly with a blow dryer or spritzing with a little rubbing alcohol.

Beeswax Candles : Hypo-allergenic, non-toxic, clean burning, lead free, naturally scented, virtually dripless, long burn time, removes harmful airborne particles from the air…

Remove all labels before lighting. Always use a proper heat-proof holder for candles before lighting. Never leave a burning candle un-attended. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Keep away from flammable materials. Burn in draft-free areas. Extinguish before leaving the room. Not recommended for inside hurricane-style or other high-wall glass.

For skin care products, beeswax is a very much desired ingredient. It has been told that somewhere near 2000 years ago a Greek Physician, Galen was the first to use Beeswax in a cleansing cold cream. It is preferred in skin care product because it doesn’t go rancid, nor does it irritate most skin types. It adds protection and as a humectant, it seals in moisture and yet still allows skin to breathe. It’s been used for reducing inflammation and as an emollient. It has been said to carry antiviral & antibacterial properties and with all of that, it smells wonderful too!