[HiveMind]

Hello!,
Every time I go to my wax melter to recover my rendered wax or put more honeycomb in I always discard the brown wax that was in there but didn't melt. I can't help but think every time that this is wasteful! Is there anything whatsoever the brown brood comb is useful for? Every other aspect of the hive is useful to humans for something. That brown brood comb has got to be good for something! What do you do with it?

 

[beemilk]

Are you sure it's wax in the first place? There is a strong possibility that the brown, "unmelted" stuff is the remains of the pupal cases
of the brood. Does it feel like wax or paper?

 

[HiveMind]

It feels like propolized paper. It is definitely comb brood has been raised in. Which tends to be papery from raising brood in. But it seems like it's rich in propolis too. I just feel bad discarding it. It seems like it's got to be useful for something (other than raising brood in). I know for a fact even brown papery brood comb starts out as pure white wax. And this wax doesn't just transform to paper like a wasp's nest. I think everybody calls discarded brown brood comb "slum gum", right? If so, what is slum gum and what is it useful to humans for?

 

[Emanuel Romania]

I'm guessing your talking about solar wax melter those don't usually melt black brood comb you could try boiling the wax in water and filtering it that's what I do and there is usually very like left to throw away.... some I have heard use the slumgum to bait swarm traps

 

[HiveMind]

I'm guessing your talking about solar wax melter those don't usually melt black brood comb you could try boiling the wax in water and filtering it that's what I do and there is usually very like left to throw away.... some I have heard use the slumgum to bait swarm traps

What comes out in the boil? What's the wax to propolis ratio?

 

[AugustC]

o/~ swarm trap .. swarm trap de de daa da o/~
o/~ swarm trap .. swarm trap de de daa da o/~

Ok so maybe other people don't hear the theme tune of stingray in their heads.
ANYWAY.. this is the stuff that is good to include in .. you guessed it.. swarms traps/bait hives. If you don't want to store it as is you can add in some olive oil and it will melt when heated up slowly. Stir together and then add a few drops of lemon grass oil before it starts to harden. Congratulations! you have mad slum gum. Bait some boxes and catch some bees.

 

[Max Morgan]

An old school beekeeper I know uses slum gum in his smoker.

 

[Ennui]

I feed it to chicken (small quantities) and use it as a fire starter.

I'll have to try the bait hive thing though, so far I've only used old black comb.

 

[Michael Bush]

Sometimes the cocoons soak up more wax that the combs contain.