Beeswax is one of, if not the most natural product of all time.
About Our Products
Beeswax is one of, if not the most natural product of all time.
It is difficult to simply explain the life of a bee, how the bee produces wax and honey for us to use in Beeswax Alchemy, but they are very industrious workers and with careful husbandry we can support our colonies and use their products.
Our hives are placed in areas full of diverse plant, tree and flower species, giving the bees plenty of pollen and nectar throughout the year. A warm South West climate means that even during the winter months when bees are often considered dormant within their hives, our bees can be seen to be flying, albeit on a far reduced scale in comparison with Spring and Summer.
Beeswax is a product made by the bees and is an essential part of the hive. As beekeepers we provide the home for the bees and the wooden frames for them to build their wax comb. The comb is drawn out by the bees into perfect hexagon shapes. The comb is used for the queen to lay her eggs, rearing the young, storing pollen and of course honey production.
Our honey is as diverse as the nectar source surrounding the hives. We aim to keep our hives in areas that are away from intensive agriculture, from harmful pesticides and the like. They are kept in parklands that are managed sustainably, open moorland and nature reserves and riverbanks.
It takes one bee’s lifetime to produce one teaspoon of honey, ¼ oz, and therefor 64 bees to make one pound of honey.
It takes one bee it’s lifetime to produce one teaspoon of honey, ¼ oz, and therefor 64 bees to make one pound of honey.
It takes 7 teaspoons of honey to make ¼ oz of wax. This equates to 7 pounds of honey needed to make one pound of beeswax.
We reckon that it takes in the region of 450 bees to make 1lb/ 454 grams of our beeswax.
Beekeeping is farming, and as such we are registered with DEFRA and are regularly inspected for bee health and beekeeping standards.
The raw product from the bees is just the start of the journey, it is something that we are passionate about, and invest heavily in time, in looking after the bees and keeping our hives healthy. If we get this right, we can harvest their honey, and collect their wax
The honey must be collected when it is ready, un-capped and spun. The honey is allowed to settle for 24 hours and then weighed into sterilised jars and labelled.
The wax collected is processed by cleaning and filtering.
We are not a factory and each batch are hand processed using old fashioned methods, treating the bees gently and with respect. To this end, our products have true provenance of a bespoke handmade item, from hive to home.
Our honey will change throughout the seasons and vary in taste and texture from hive to hive. We cannot repeat the taste or promise a certain colour or style.
Our beeswax will vary in colour, as the colour is dependant on the staining that naturally occurs from the pollen that has been stored in the wax.
This variation is to be expected, and uniformity of colour would be unnatural.
“If we die, we’re taking you with us.” The Bees