WAX 
885 
shown the result after separating the 
honey, wax, and wood, in a sixteen-ounce 
section. Of course, these results, as be¬ 
fore mentioned, are not always the same, 
Honey pressed from a section; result—over 14 
ounces honey, % ounce of wax, and 1 ounce of 
• wood. 
and the different amounts vary consider¬ 
ably. 
On one occasion the author melted over 
600 lbs. of candied comb honey. Keeping 
careful account of the weights, it was 
found that the percentages of honey, wax, 
and wood were approximately 88, 5, and 7, 
respectively. 
REFINING BEESWAX. 
Wax cakes, as they are brought up, are 
usually of all grades and colors. The dif¬ 
ference in color is due largely to the 
amount of impurities the wax contains. 
With all of the plans for bleaching or clar¬ 
ifying there seems to be no practical or 
satisfactory way of bringing a small 
amount of wax to a yellow color. 
Acid for refining wax on a small scale is 
not to be recommended, for, without 
proper receptacles and facilities for heat¬ 
ing, the wax is more often injured than 
benefited. 
BLEACHING BEESWAX. 
There are methods by which beeswax 
can be bleached by the use of chemicals: 
but for practical purposes it is unwise to 
attempt them. Moreover, it has finally 
been discovered that, for the economic uses 
of the beekeeper, foundation made of 
bleache'd wax is no better than, if as good 
as, that having the natural yellow color. 
Yellow wax is more ductile, and therefore 
more easily worked by the bees; and even 
when used for section honey-boxes, the 
combs from yellow wax are about as white 
as those from the bleached; so that when 
capped over no one can tell the difference. 
But very often dealers have a call for 
bleached beeswax; and the only practical 
way of getting it is to convert the product 
into thin sheets or small particles and then 
subject them to the sun’s rays for a suit¬ 
able length of time. When sufficiently 
bleached they may be melted up and caked. 
HOW TO DETECT ADULTERATED WAX. 
Mention has already been made that 
beeswax is liable to adulteration with par¬ 
affin or ceresin, and sometimes with ordi¬ 
nary grease or fat. Some unscrupulous 
box-liive beekeepers, after brimstoning 
their old “skeps,” and melting up the 
wax,* add just enough tallow to increase 
the weight, because grease is cheap com¬ 
pared with the ordinary product of the 
hive. But such adulterations are very 
easily detected, both by smell and sight. 
The cakes have a greasy smell and feeling; 
and when subjected to the float test, pres¬ 
ently described, will immediately rise to 
the top of the liquid. Paraffin and ceresin 
adulterations are not so easily recognized; 
but nearly all pure beeswax, when chewed 
for a few minutes, will crumble in fine 
particles, while wax containing a small 
percentage of paraffin or ceresin will chew 
like sealing wax and chewing-gum. 
The simplest test is the float or specific- 
gravity test. The specific gravity of ordi¬ 
nary commercial paraffins and ceresins is 
below that of beeswax. As an ordinary ar¬ 
ticle of pure beeswax is lighter than water 
(wax standing 965 and water at 1000), of 
course it will float in water. 
Into a jar partly filled with water pour 
alcohol until a small piece of beeswax of 
knoAvn purity settles to the bottom, taking 
care not to pour in too much alcohol, for 
the wax should barely sink to the bottom; 
that is, the alcoholic liquid and the wax 
should be of almost the same specific grav¬ 
ity. If a piece of adulterated beeswax con¬ 
taining 50 per cent of paraffin or ceresin is 
now put into the liquid it will float on the 
surface of the liquid. If another piece of 
wax that contains only 10 per cent of adul¬ 
teration is now tested it will still float, 
but has a tendency to sink almost under 
the surface. If another piece containing 
* See ‘‘Box Hives.” 
