Home | Our Catalogue | Ordering Information
Contact Us | Working with Beeswax | Burning Beeswax Candles

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is beeswax, really?

Beeswax is wax, made as a secretion from special glands in the young worker bees. They use this wax to build their honeycomb, although now beekeepers provide foundations in their frames so that the honeycomb is of uniform size and shape to work easily in the hive. The beeswax that we use for candles comes from the cappings, fresh wax that is made to seal the ends of the honeycomb. Beekeepers cut this off with a hot knife as they extract the honey, and they sell it as a byproduct of their business. Back to Top

2. Does it come in colours other than golden yellow?

Our wax varies in colour from pale yellow to deep gold. Delores Reimer, a beekeeper, tells us that the wax varies in colour depending upon the mix of flowers that the bees are visiting. It is possible to find almost white wax, which is treated with diatomaceous earth to remove some of the colour. And we sometimes see candles made from brown or orange wax, which is usually a sign that the candlemaker has included old comb wax (which we avoid). Back to Top

Some candles are made from rolled foundation sheets and they can be found in many colours. That wax has been dyed.

3. Can you add scents to beeswax candles?

We are sure that it could be done, but we have to ask "why bother?". We find that burning beeswax candles seems to clear the air, which is part of the reason that we burn them. Back to Top

4. Why must tea lights and votives be burned in a container?

There are three general ways that candles burn. A taper, long and slim, melts a wax pool at the top of the candle and consumes the wax before it can run down the column. (Sometimes tapers will smoke or drip, but that is usually if they are affected by a draft or breeze.) A wide pillar should melt a wax pool almost out to the edge of the candle, and as the candle burns the wall should be squeezed in a bit so that it also melts into the wax pool. Tea lights and votives have a larger wick and produce a flame large enough to melt a wax pool larger than the candle itself, so the wax would run over the tabletop if it were not contained. However, if they are burned in a snug-fitting container they can burn away all of the wax before going out. Back to Top

We have found that putting a few drops of water in the holders before putting in the tea lights makes it easy to remove unburned and leftover wax.

5. Is there any easy way to get candle stubs out of holders?

We usually scrape stubs out with a knife, especially if they are still warm from having just gone out. More commonly, we heat the holder with a hair dryer and this softens the wax just enough that we can easily scrape it out and then clean it with a bit of paper towel. Back to Top

6. What's the best way to blow out a candle?

We use different techniques for different candles. Tapers can just be blown out, although they often spray wax. We have a brass snuffer that we often use.

For tea lights, votives and pillars we usually push the wick down into the wax pool with a matchstick or straightened paper clip. This not only extinguishes the flame but it also reloads the wick with wax for the next time it is lit. This ensures that there will be enough flame to melt the wax the next time; otherwise the cotton wick may burn away before enough wax is melted to sustain the flame. Back to Top

7. Do you sell at wholesale?

We regret that we are unable to sell at wholesale.

Home | Our Catalogue | Ordering Information
Contact Us | Working with Beeswax | Burning Beeswax Candles