Bees for Development Journal 129 December 2018
FACTS ABOUT WAX Part 4: Uses of beeswax Dr Wolfgang Ritter Wax quality standards
have held brood, separate from those which have not. Frosty conditions are helpful: Nosema species, Nosema ceranae, which is common today all over the world, is very cold-sensitive. Wax moths cannot develop below 9°C and also their eggs are killed by frost. A comb storage unit outdoors or in an unheated room is therefore very suitable. An unused stack of bee boxes is well suited as a comb storage: with its variable size, it can easily be adapted to suit the needs. Sulphur fumes kill moths and moth larvae, acetic acid kills moth eggs, and Bacillus thuringiensis preparations kill the larvae. The best method is to not store combs used for brood, or to treat them before storage. In this way, residues can be avoided in storage.
Pharmacy and cosmetic products
Beeswax is used as an excipient - that is an inert carrier - in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, for example in ointments and lipsticks. The European Pharmacopoeia indicates the composition of white (bleached) wax Cera alba and yellow beeswax Cera flava and quality tests and parameters regarding appearance, density and scent; also the drip point and the acid, ester and saponification values. Also tests for paraffin and fat are defined.
Food products
In food production beeswax is used as a separating agent in sweets and a covering agent for fruits. The food additive key E901 defines the parameters for wax, similar to the European Pharmacopoeia. You will not find indicators concerning the total hydrogen content or limits for the addition of other substances. Therefore products could be adulterated by paraffin or stearin and by esters and fats.
Wax cycle The wax yield from old combs with many larval skins is lower than from new combs and honeycomb cappings. As a rule, the general recovery rate is 30-50%.
Own production Creating your own wax processing cycle ensures that wax you use contains only residues for which you are responsible. You can directly influence this by careful selection of the apiary location and the careful application of varroacides. You can sort the wax yourself from combs and cappings, according to its individual quality and process it separately. Even small quantities can be processed like this. To exclude previous contamination, you should not use old combs but only use wax from cappings and naturally built combs without comb foundation. Decontaminating wax against American or European Foulbrood is not necessary if you know the health situation of your colonies.
Beeswax candles The German ‘RAL’ Quality Mark for candles ensures high utility value and consistent quality. For beeswax candles the quality mark states: “The exclusive term beeswax candle is permissible only if the burning mass of the candle consists purely of beeswax without any additives“. However, a total carbon parameter of 18% is indicated. As natural beeswax has a value of 14% total carbon, it can be concluded that a certain portion of paraffin is tolerated.
Beekeeping (comb foundation) Quality parameters or norms for foundation are not defined by EU rules or regulations. For the registration of animal medicines, it is required only that a maximum residue level (MRL) be specified for honey and not for wax.
Processing within a beekeeping association
Concerning import, the World Organization for Animal Health stipulates under the Code for Animal Health which pre-treatment is necessary to avoid the importation of certain parasites including Small Hive Beetle and Tropilaelaps sp, and also pathogens of the diseases American and European Foulbrood.
If wax is processed jointly within your beekeepers’ association, it should be very clear how the individual members work, how they treat their colonies, and if they are in a position to evaluate the health situation of their colonies. It is better to recycle the individual batches separately. The equipment used must always be cleaned carefully. The advantage of co-operative processing is that cost-intensive equipment such as wax extractors and foundation moulds can be purchased jointly.
Comb storage
Delivery to commercial firms For smaller apiaries, the purchase of expensive equipment is unprofitable. Wax passed on to wax processing firms is reimbursed with an adequate quantity of foundation. However, mostly you do not get back your own wax. The risk of receiving contaminated wax is low, because nearly all firms recycle the wax at the correct temperatures and under stringent conditions. In the case of bigger quantities probably delivered from middle sized apiaries, some foundation
Combs in nests no longer occupied by honey bees are left for destruction by wax moths with their main consumption being remnants of empty cocoons and pollen. This makes sense for wild bee colonies in nature. However it is not desirable when combs are being stored away from a hive, when wax moths should be killed or their development inhibited. This can be achieved with cool and airy storage conditions. Another preventitive technique is to store combs that 5
