Beeswax candle making France and Luxembourg

🐝 From Hive to Candle: How do we harvest beeswax?

Harvesting beeswax is an art that respects the life cycle of the hive. At Honapi, beeswax is collected during honey extraction carried out at apiaries in France and Luxembourg. The wax comes from our hives based in Moselle and also from our orchards in Luxembourg.

Most of the wax we use comes from two main sources:

1. Cappings Wax (The purest)

During honey extraction, we perform a de-capping operation. This operation consists of removing the wax cap present to keep the honey in the cell. The beeswax resulting from de-capping is stored and then melted in a wax boiler. Melting allows us to obtain a block of beeswax. This is the highest quality wax. When honey is "ripe" (meaning its moisture content is low enough), the bees seal the full cells with a thin layer of wax called a capping.

- Harvesting: At the time of honey extraction, we use a de-capping fork.

- This cappings wax, being new and not having been soiled by the passage of bees or the brood, is naturally the most

2. Old Combs (Brood and Super Wax)

Wax is also recovered from combs that have been used for the brood or that have become too old. Over time, the wax darkens due to the brood left by young bees and the presence of propolis. These frames must be removed and replaced to maintain good hive hygiene and vitality. To turn raw wax (cappings or old frames) into blocks that can be used for candles, it must be melted to separate it from impurities (residual honey, propolis, debris).

🐝 From Hive to Candle: How do we clean beeswax?

At Honapi, we use a Wax Boiler. Heat is provided by steam. The wax melts and rises to the surface of the water because it is less dense. It is then collected and left to cool.

The melted wax is always filtered to obtain the golden, clean blocks of wax used to make candles. It is this simple and natural purification process that guarantees the purity of our beeswax candles.

🐝 From Hive to Candle: How do we make a beeswax candle?

To make a candle, we use our own beeswax, a cotton wick, and a shape/mold. The beeswax candle-making process:

1. Melt the Wax: We use a double boiler to melt small blocks of wax. This allows the beeswax blocks to melt slowly.

2. Prepare the Wick: We use a 100% cotton wick that we soak in wax for better combustion.

3. Pour the wax into a candle mold: The wick is secured in a mold. We pour the melted beeswax (approximately 65°C - 70°C) into the candle mold.

4. Let it cool: We leave the candle to cool and harden completely for at least 24 hours before trimming the wick.

💡 Pro Tip: Beeswax tends to shrink as it cools. To avoid a gap in the mold, we melt and add a little more wax on top a few hours after the first pour.