Casting Foundation
Arbeiten am Bienenstand
Anyone processing their own wax casts foundation in a mold.
Anyone processing their own wax casts foundation in a mold. The wax is brought to about 75 degrees Celsius in a water bath, poured in at the back edge of the mold, to about half the depth of the mold. The mold is closed slowly with brief pressure, and excess wax runs off. After about half a minute, the foundation sheet can be released from the metal edge with a spatula; it is supported with the palm of the hand when opening. Sheets are stacked with kitchen paper in between.
The reason for doing it yourself is the wax cycle. Residues from treatment agents and pesticides accumulate in the wax, migrate from there into the honey, and can harm the brood. Anyone who wants to stay clean feeds back only cappings and drone-frame wax and passes on the old wax. Exchanging it at a dealer saves work but is rarely an economic gain.
When buying in wax, the invoice should explicitly state that it is foundation made of real beeswax for use in the bee colony, with a batch designation; a current, traceable test result should be included. Adulteration with paraffin or stearin later shows up as sagging comb and a gappy brood nest. Anyone having wax reprocessed takes retained samples before and after processing and labels the wax by origin and year.