14 
COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION 
of the steam wax extractors, is used there remains in the slumgum about 
seven pounds of wax which is obtainable by the use of the sulfuric acid 
nnd pressure. With the price of wax at twenty-five cents a pound it would 
pay to buy old slumgum and remove the wax by this method. 
, The method of heating the wax, while inclosed in a bag, with sulfuric 
acid, as practiced by more refiners of wax, gives good results. 
Sulfuric acid seems to be better for bleaching wax than either hydro¬ 
chloric acid, nitric acid, or a mixture of potassium bichromate and sulfuric 
acid. The wax from the latter has a dark green color which may be removed 
by repeated heating with oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is a poison and I am not 
prepared to state how much would be left in the wax or what effect it would 
have upon the bees working with the wax. 
An increase of sulfuric acid above five per cent does not seem to im¬ 
prove the color of the wax. 
The addition of five per cent of hydrogen peroxide to the sulfuric acid 
and water gives a much lighter colored wax. An increase of hydrogen per- 
Lxide above five per cent does not give an improvement in the color ot 
the wax. 
Common salt added to the water in which the wax is boiled does not 
cause the dirt to settle enough to show a change in the color of the wax. 
Heating the wax, which has not been treated with sulfuric acid and 
potassium bichromate, with oxalic acid does not seem to improve the 
color of the wax. 
Excessive boiling seems to injure the grain of the wax. The best results 
in regard to the grain of the wax were obtained by causing the wax to melt 
but not come to a boil. 
Heating the wax while inclosed in a cloth and squeezing it after the 
wax has melted gives a much better colored wax than heating without the 
cloth. A fine canton flannel cloth with the nap inside is better than a coarse 
cloth. The nap seems to hold the dirt that is in the wax. Remelting the 
wax inclosed in a cloth with two per cent, solution of sulphuric acid and five 
per cent, hydrogen peroxide improves the color of the wax. Continued 
treatment in the same way does not give corresponding improvement in 
the color of wax. After the third treatment there is not any improvement 
in the color and rather a deterioration in the quality of the wax. 
Boiling with concentrated and dilute alcohol does not improve the color 
of the wax. 
The color of the wax is not improved by standing over water after 
cooling. 
All of the slumgum retains some wax, but it was found impo'ssible to 
determine the exact amount. 
From the results of these experiments and my own experience in han¬ 
dling bees and rendering wax I believe that it is best for the average bee¬ 
keeper to have a large solar wax extractor, heated by some artificial heat, 
by means of which most of the wax in the lighter colored combs, cappings, 
and burr combs may oe easily rendered. The dark combs may also be 
treated in this manner and the slumgum stored in barrels until the bee¬ 
keeper has time to treat it with dilute sulphuric acid and press under water. 
This method is quick and efficient. If the wax has to be refined it can be 
done by heating, while inclosed in a canton flannel sack, with a solution 
containing five per cent, of hydrogen peroxide and two to five per cent, of 
sulphuric acid. Both of these chemicals can be bought at the ordinary 
drug store. The common kind, commercial, should be used. 
In mixing the acid and the water care should be taken to always pour 
the acid gently into the water and not the water into the acid. 
The cost of the chemicals compared with the results obtained is very 
slight. 
