How to Melt Beeswax

Learn how to melt beeswax safely and find out which types of wax are best-suited for making products like lip balms and candles.

By Kim Flottum
Updated on October 2, 2023
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by Adobestock/soyka
There are a variety of ways to use beeswax, including in candles and cosmetics.

Learn how to melt beeswax safely and find out which types of wax are best-suited for making products like lip balms and candles.

If you extract your honey, you’ll have both honey and wax when you’re done. (If someone does it for you, his or her payment may actually be in wax or honey.) The wax is what is removed when you cut off the cappings from the honey-filled cells before you put the frames in the extractor. These cappings are usually collected in an uncapping tub that lets much of the honey drain off, separating the cappings wax from the adhering honey. (Now you see the wisdom of lining your uncapping tank with a mesh lining: It keeps the wax and lets the honey go.)

You have the choice of separating the remaining honey from the wax or simply discarding both. That may not be the best choice; there is a lot of honey clinging to the wax cappings, and the best beeswax is found in those wax cappings. If you choose to keep the wax, there are several ways to proceed.

The simplest method is to gather the corners of the mesh filter that lines the uncapping tank and shape it into a large bag. Tie the “bag” closed and suspend it over a clean bucket to let the honey drain for a few days in a bee-free area in a warm location. Add the honey to your crop and clean the wax in water. Once the wax is clean, freeze it to destroy any wax moths. Whatever you do with it, do it fairly soon so wax moths or small hive beetles cannot cause problems. (This wax can coat next year’s plastic foundation, as well.)

Decapping and Uncapping

The terms “decapping” and “uncapping” mean the same thing: mechanically removing the beeswax coverings from the honey-filled cells on a frame. The coverings are called “cappings.” When melted, the beeswax is called “cappings wax.”

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