>Does treated mean with chemicals such as pesticides?
The hive, the wax is indirectly affected because several of the acaracides are lipophilic, meaning they "love fat" and beeswax is fat, so they accumulate in the wax.
>Are there other things that they can treat it with that I need to inquire about?
There is also PDB (Para Dichloro Benzene) which is also lipophilic, but also pretty volatile, so it will evaporate out over time.
> I know they do not use pesticides but I don't if I should be asking other questions to correctly answer the "treated" question.
We are talking about what they use to treat for mites. Typical chemicals are Fluvalinate, Cumaphos and Amitraz that will build up in the wax. Generally the entire world wax supply is contaminated with these except in places where they can't afford the chemicals or from treatment free beekeepers.
>What are color variations?
Beeswax runs from White, to Yellow, to Brown. White or yellow is worth more than brown.
>All of this beeswax is from the last few months and the sheets are all light/golden color.
Sheets? Is this foundation?
>Some streaks of a bit darker color but all pretty much the same. Are there different types of colors?
A continuum from white to brown with yellow in the middle.
>Thanks bushfarms for your help. I need a bit of clarification as I've only been in this for about 24 hours. This product is within the last few months and I assume that means it is fresh.
Beeswax will keep forever. It would be worth more if it was 30 years old...
>It's from here in North America so is this still a problem?
It's not a problem. Most of the beeswax supply here is. It would be worth more if it was not.
>The source produces certified honey so wouldn't that mean that it doesn't have poisons in the process?
Not at all. It is most likely they are using poisons.
>Wouldn't the Paraffin or Acaracides affect the Honey?
Paraffin affects the beeswax. It also affects the acceptance of foundation for bees, yet China sells a lot of foundation that has paraffin in it. All the US foundation is pure beeswax.
Yes the Acaracides do affect the honey. No one wants to admit it...
If you suspect it might have paraffin in it, you can test it. Here's an excerpt from The Australasian Bee Manual by Isaac Hopkins:
"ADULTERATED BEESWAX, AND HOW TO DETECT IT.
"With the growing scarcity of beeswax during the past twenty years and the consequent increase in price, came the opportunity for the adulterator. At first the adulteration was carried on in a very clumsy style and easily detected, tallow and resin being chiefly used. But of late years the fraudulent imitation of the pure article has been so cleverly made that except by experts or by direct tests it could not be detected.
"The usual adulterants nowadays, and which are so difficult to detect by the uninitiated, are the ordinary commercial paraffins and ceresins, and for these the simplest way of detecting them is by the alcohol test. Too much reliance, however, must not be placed in it as it is quite possible that something else might be added to make the test unreliable.
"Into a clear glass bottle pour a little clean water, then drop in a small piece of beeswax of known purity; the wax being lighter than the water, will float. Now pour in gradually pure alcohol till the wax slowly sinks to and touches the bottom, but no more. Then drop in a piece of the suspected article: if it does not sink slowly like the wax there will be every reason for believing it to be adulterated. When there is more than 5 per cent, of either of the two adulterants present the stuff will float, while the pure beeswax lies at the bottom of the liquid. "