From Hive To Beeswax

Where Does Our Beeswax Come From?

Our beeswax comes from our own beekeeping wherever possible.

Our colonies are kept across the Lincolnshire Wolds and surrounding Lincolnshire areas, where the bees work through the changing seasons and forage on the flowers and crops available around their apiaries.

Wax is recovered as part of normal hive management and honey extraction.

One particularly valuable source is the thin layer of wax cappings that bees place over ripe honey. These cappings are removed when honey is harvested and contain clean, usable beeswax.

Other suitable wax can also be recovered as part of managing the hives.

The Bees Make the Wax First

Before we ever handle it, the bees have done the hard work.

Worker bees produce tiny flakes of wax from glands on their bodies. They soften and shape these flakes to build the honeycomb that forms such an important part of the colony.

The comb is then used again and again by the bees.

It can hold honey and pollen and provide cells for raising new bees. Over time, the wax changes in colour and character as it is used within the hive.

That means the wax we eventually recover has a story behind it.

Wax Cappings from the Honey Harvest

When honey is ready to be harvested, the bees have sealed the honeycomb cells with a thin layer of wax.

These are known as cappings.

During extraction, the cappings are carefully removed so that the honey can be released from the comb.

The cappings themselves are not waste.

They contain beeswax that can be recovered, cleaned and used again.

For us, this is an important part of making good use of the materials that come from our beekeeping.

From Used Wax to Clean Beeswax

Once beeswax has been recovered, it isn't immediately ready to become a candle.

Raw wax can contain small amounts of honey, pollen, propolis and other natural material from the hive.

The wax therefore needs to be carefully rendered and cleaned.

We gently melt suitable wax so that the beeswax separates from unwanted material. It is then filtered to remove remaining debris before being allowed to cool and form into manageable blocks.

The exact appearance of the finished block depends on the wax itself.

Natural beeswax isn't a completely uniform manufactured material, so colour and character can vary.

Why Does the Wax Need Filtering?

Honeycomb is part of a living, working hive, so naturally collected wax can contain small particles and remnants of material from the colony.

Filtering helps remove unwanted debris while retaining the beeswax itself.

We take care not to over-process the wax because one of the things we value about beeswax is its natural character.

From Wax to Blocks

Once the wax has been rendered and filtered, we allow it to cool and form into blocks.

These blocks are much easier to store and use when we are ready to make our products.

This is also where the process becomes quite satisfying to watch.

What started as pieces of honeycomb and wax recovered from the apiary becomes clean, usable beeswax ready for the next stage.

What Happens to the Beeswax Next?

The prepared beeswax can then be used to make a variety of products.

For us, one of its most important uses is our handmade beeswax candles.

Depending on the candle, the wax may be melted again and carefully poured into its mould, allowing it to take on a completely different shape.

A simple block of beeswax can become a pillar candle, tealight, taper or one of our more decorative designs.

The material hasn't lost its connection to the hive — it has simply been given another purpose.

From Hive to Home

There is something special about knowing where a material has come from.

Our bees made the wax.

The bees used it to build their comb.

We recovered suitable wax through our beekeeping.

We cleaned and prepared it.

And we then use it to make handmade products here at Stax Of Wax.

Bee → Hive → Honeycomb → Beeswax → Handmade Product → Home

​That is the journey behind our beeswax.​

Making the Most of a Natural Material

Beeswax is valuable, and we don't want suitable wax to be wasted.

Recovering and reusing beeswax is part of our approach to beekeeping and making our products.

While some wax goes in to making products some are returned to the hive, by making foundation sheets

It also means that our candles have a much closer connection to our apiaries than a candle made from an anonymous manufactured wax.

Every batch begins with a natural material produced by bees.

Why Our Beeswax Can Vary

Because our beeswax is natural, each batch can have its own characteristics.

You may notice differences in:

• colour

• scent

• texture

• surface appearance

Fresh wax and older comb will not necessarily look the same, and wax from different times of the year can have its own character.

We don't see this variation as a problem.

It is part of knowing that we're working with something that has come from a real hive rather than a completely uniform industrial material.

Beeswax With a Story

When you hold one of our handmade beeswax candles, you're holding more than just a piece of wax.

Its journey began with our bees, working through the seasons in our Lincolnshire apiaries.

That is why we call it from hive to home.

The candle may now be sitting on a table, shelf or windowsill, but its story began inside a beehive.