All beekeepers are well aware of what a wax for bees is. However, not only they, the material is actively used in various sectors of the economy, including for handicraft. For example, it is used for the manufacture of candles, polishing wooden surfaces. Let's try to figure out what this word means.
General view
There is no substitute for a beeswax in a beekeeper’s work . This is the main substance from which cells are formed. If you provide the insects living in the apiary with the necessary amount of consumables, the honey harvest will be more than decent. Wax is used by bees in the process of building honeycombs for honey, in a number of other biological, chemical processes that occur in the production of this product. Many modern beekeepers can make wax with their own hands to provide their wards with everything necessary for the production of honey.
Due to waxing, insects can live in comfort, the population will be healthy and full. For the beekeeper, this greatly simplifies the care of the apiary. Wax functions for bees:
- nest enlargement;
- performance assurance;
- the possibility of family development in the warm season.
What it is
Normally, a wax for bees is thin flat wax sheets, broken into numerous hexagonal cells. If such a sheet is high quality, then there will be no impurities in it. It is important that the thickness is uniform over the entire area of the sheet. The optimum smell of the material is the natural aroma of wax, without any additional fragrances. During storage, it is necessary to ensure that moisture does not get on the wax, as this spoils its quality. It is also important to protect the sheets from damage.
Varieties and classification
There are three types of waxes for bees:
- natural;
- artificial
- semi-natural.
Of course, if possible, preference is given to natural - this is the highest quality wax. Raw materials for manufacturing - pure wax. There are no artificial impurities in such a product. Bees perceive such a wax perfectly, and experienced beekeepers work only with it.
Artificial raw materials are made from paraffin and plastic. There is no wax at all, or it is present in very small quantities.
Semi-natural wax is made from wax with the addition of impurities. Often paraffin is introduced into the composition. Sheets have low strength, so you need to work with them extremely carefully.
Production Features
Experienced beekeepers can tell how to make a wax for bees. Of course, you can buy a finished product, but many prefer to cope with the task on their own, so as not to doubt which components are included in the product. When choosing the initial composition, you need to remember that different substances affect bees in different ways, it is on the basis of this that they decide whether to give preference to natural substances or add artificial ones.
The easiest method is to make natural wax from soft raw materials. The mechanical method is applied, special rollers are used. They are automatic and manual. The rollers are equipped with cells through which it is necessary to pass a preheated, softened wax. The usual size of the wax for bees is approximately 41x21 cm.
How else can
Some in wax production use a press made of two plates equipped with hexagonal cells. The result will be high-quality, but the procedure requires a lot of time. More often such a press is used by beekeepers who have small or medium sized sites. In large apiaries, rollers are preferred. The resulting product can be safely used in work, including giving a swarm of bees with wax strips in the summer season, so that the insect family has the necessary volumes of the product for life.
Variants with the introduction of artificial additives in the composition of waxes suggest the availability of production facilities. Professional equipment is used, the beekeeper only orders the necessary volume of the product. In practice, most prefer a natural product, since it is more suitable for bees, and you can not worry about the quality of the honey produced. Some even do without it, practicing keeping bees without wax. This is not the easiest method of beekeeping, but the masters who stick to it are deservedly proud of their work.
Is it worth taking an artificial product?
Some beekeepers can tell how to save wax on swarms of bees, but most modern entrepreneurs are of the following opinion: you should not save, as this leads to poor swarm productivity during the honey harvest. Some, trying to save money, purchase artificial goods. This option is acceptable, but many condemn it. Modern technologies provide access to innovative inventions, including those related to beekeeping. Artificial waxes last up to ten years, which is impossible when using natural raw materials.
To make wax with your own hands, you need to spend not only raw materials, but also time, make a lot of effort. Buying a finished product is much simpler, cheaper. You don’t have to drag anything on, the new thing is immediately installed in the groove or even a new frame is installed.
Are there any weaknesses
Artificial waxing along with positive aspects has a number of minuses. In particular, in order to effectively prevent bee diseases, a natural product must be occasionally treated with chemicals, but when using plastic, the frequency will have to be increased several times. This, of course, negatively affects the health of insects, and the quality of the honey they produce.
As beekeepers note, at present, enough experience has not yet been accumulated to make it possible to talk about the equivalence of using plastic and natural waxes. How well the cells are rebuilt, how willingly the uterus will lay larvae - comparative analyzes, studies have not yet been conducted, so there is no exact information. Some attribute the weaknesses to the fact that plastic wax cannot be made with one's own hands; one will have to immediately invest in a purchase, which is problematic when the beekeeper is just starting out.
What can you do yourself
One of the serious problems of modern beekeepers is wax moth. This harmful insect threatens both the swarm and its house. To get rid of the pest, you need to know how to polish a tree with wax from bees, although most often in practice they use the most common moth products in stores. Some suggest the use of roofing material, the smell of which should repel a harmful insect. In addition, the problem with moles can be triggered by too large a hive or a weak bee family.
To make a wax for the bees with your own hands, you can use a fairly simple method that requires you to have:
- silicone (600 ml);
- Scotch;
- catalyst (40 g);
- putty knife;
- wax (natural, artificial).
Action algorithm
To begin with, a base is placed on a solid surface, choosing an even place - this facilitates the work. A board is made of scotch tape, which prevents leakage of silicone. The catalyst is mixed with silicone, poured into a mold and waiting to solidify. When this happened, a brand new product is removed with a spatula.
If the factory base is dirty, it is important to clean it before the next use. Specialists pay attention to the fact that the first time it is rare for someone to get a really perfect wax. Having gained a little experience, it will turn out to cope with this task much better.
Storage Features
In order for the wax to be stored for a long time and not spoil, it is necessary to choose a dry place for it. It is not permissible for direct sunlight to fall on the product. It is better to pre-wrap the plates with strong paper. Voshchina absorbs smells very well, so preference is given to a room where it smells nothing.
Immediately before use, the wax is unwrapped and warmed up in the sun for several minutes. This helps to update the product and prepare it before placing it in the hive.
Natural wax: how to make
If the apiary is medium-sized or small, experts strongly recommend the use of natural wax. For its manufacture, you can use a special installation - a wax press. It is equipped with a cooling system, a matrix of silicone. The most modern products are manufactured in accordance with international standards and are not inferior in quality to the best imported samples. The press is chosen, focusing on the necessary type of frame as a result - root, dadan.
The main consumable is wax. The required volume is heated to 90 degrees, regularly checking the mass with a thermometer to avoid overheating. In five minutes, the substance is cooled to a slight thickening. If you supercool the mass, you have to warm it again, so it is important to control the process. The resulting wax is poured into the press, and as soon as ready take out the wax. Immediately after this, you can fill in a new batch of the starting material.
What to choose
Some say that the best option for each beekeeper is his own. To understand which wax is more suited to specific conditions, it is worth trying all three types and, based on your own experience, decide what to stop at. Much depends on the scale of production, and on the characteristics of specific bee colonies, working conditions and human life, the climatic zone.
Some features of beekeeping
Experts advise to pay special attention not only to wax, but also to all aspects of interaction with the insect family. Proper care of the hives is the key to a good harvest of honey. In particular, in spring, it is imperative to check all the frames in order to use only the best in the sockets. When installing a wax in a honeycomb, it is better to pre-wet it with a sugar solution on both sides. Then the insects will immediately start cleaning, and the uterus will have more space.