The Old Folks Home

[Alaskan]

Yes on beeswax candles. They also don't drip much, unless you hold them at an angle or some such.


My kids didn't wreck the car... They also didn't manage to remember to get ALL of the trash in it.


And the little kids (baby goats) we got yesterday are NOT staying in their pen.... And one of our Muscovy ducks (a first timer) let newly hatched ducklings freeze (one died, we resqued 3, she is still on the nest)

Poor kids didn't get to eat breakfast until almost 11 am....

 

[chickadoodles]

Scg very nice presentation on the bees wax. Thanks
Your sewing machine looks great with the newly waxed finish.

I use to buy bees wax candles. But they are hard to find around here.

I gave my daughter a dresser with a huge mirrored shelf on top. A friend gave it to me he said he and his wife had waxed with bees wax every day for nearly a year. It was beautiful.
I just did not have room for it.

Alaskan that's wonderful that your kids help you.

 

[ronott1]

Superchemicalgirl, I LOVE your treadle sewing machine. My mom had one way back when and they are the favorite of the Amish women around us. I can still hear the sound of that treadle moving when I watched my mom sewing on it as a little girl.

I've always heard that bees wax is the preferred material for good candles. They burn bright with little smoke and no smell. Is that true?

Yes on beeswax candles. They also don't drip much, unless you hold them at an angle or some such.

You should only burn soy or bees wax candles. The other type is made from petroleum and will cause indoor pollution.

 

[Beer can]

Yeah, thanks SCG for the tutorial's on the honey and the wax, excellent!

 

[Beer can]

I kinda like these one's from Cabela's, expensive though. They have a bunch of different styles.

 

[Leave a LightOn]

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[superchemicalgirl]

Yes on beeswax candles. They also don't drip much, unless you hold them at an angle or some such.


My kids didn't wreck the car... They also didn't manage to remember to get ALL of the trash in it.

And the little kids (baby goats) we got yesterday are NOT staying in their pen.... And one of our Muscovy ducks (a first timer) let newly hatched ducklings freeze (one died, we resqued 3, she is still on the nest)

Poor kids didn't get to eat breakfast until almost 11 am....

Taking it easy on your sanity this week, I see

Yeah, thanks SCG for the tutorial's on the honey and the wax, excellent!

You are most welcome. This is from a few years of trial and error. Having bees can be an expensive "hobby" - but it doesn't have to be that bad. It cost a lot to get set up - hive, protective gear and tools like the smoker and the actual bees - all that from scratch will cost you about $500... but then you get sucked into all the toys for extracting and rendering. And I really wanted to show that you don't need them. You can get old pots/knives/etc from freecycle or craigslist and make it work. No one needs to know you didn't spend hundreds of dollars on an official sanctioned extractor.

The Maine State beekeeper called me last night asking if he could swing by today and do a hive inspection with me since he'd be in my area. I respectfully declined, stating that my bees would be incredibly agitated after what I did to them to extract (I also put the extracted frames back on the hive for them to clean up for me before storing in winter). He found me "a hoot" and my methods unconventional (in fact his direct quote was "who the heck taught you that?!") but he conceded that they worked.

 

[Alaskan]

Do you have to comply to the inspection?

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Do you have to comply to the inspection?

No. He's a "service" - meaning if I have a question I can call him (40 years experience) and he will come out. Someone from my area called him and therefore he checked the list of hive owners in the area and called since he'd be in the area. You are required to get an apiary license in this state, but most people still don't do it (it's 2 dollars). I told him I got my 2$ worth just out of an entertaining phone call.

While I don't like being tracked, I like being legal more. I also figure if the state is going to do something stupid like spray in my area, they might consult the list before doing so and warn us.

 

[Kusanar]

Have you seen the new beehive that you can harvest from without even opening the hive? I want one and I don't even have bees!

http://www.honeyflow.com/