How To Make Natural Beeswax Firelighters From Old Brood Frames
- Laurence Edwards
- 15 hours ago
- 5 min read
Old brood frames and scrap beeswax can look like a horrible mess, but there is still a lot of value left in them. Once I have rendered out as much wax as I sensibly can, there is often a pile of darker, lower grade wax that I would never use for candles or cosmetics. Instead of throwing it away, I turn it into simple, natural firelighters.
In this guide I will walk you through how I make beeswax firelighters using wood wool and recovered wax from old brood frames. This is not about fancy presentation pieces. It is about a safe, reliable way for UK beekeepers with a handful of hives to turn their scrap wax into something genuinely useful around the home.
Why Beeswax Firelighters Work So Well
Beeswax is an excellent fuel for firelighters. It melts at a relatively low temperature, lights easily and burns with a steady flame for a useful length of time. When you combine it with a fibrous core such as wood wool, you create a little wick and fuel package that carries a flame long enough to get kindling and small logs going.
For me, the biggest benefit is that I am using material that would otherwise be wasted. Old brood comb and slumgum are not great candidates for nice, clean wax blocks, but they still contain enough usable wax to be perfect for firelighters.
It fits neatly with the way I run my beekeeping business. Honey is the main crop, but wax has value too and I prefer not to throw it away if I can help it.
Step 1: Set Up A Safe Melting Station
Whenever I am melting beeswax, I treat it with respect. It has a relatively low melting point, but if you overheat it on a direct flame it can catch fire.
I always use a water jacket or improvised double boiler and I never walk away while the wax is heating.
For small batches of firelighters, a dedicated old saucepan inside a larger pan of water works very well. The outer pan contains the water, the inner pan holds the wax chunks.
As the water heats up, it gently transfers heat to the wax without letting it get too hot. A thermometer is useful, but the key is slow, controlled heating rather than rushing the job.
Step 2: Prepare Your Wood Wool Cores
The other half of the firelighter is the fuel core. I like wood wool for this job. It is essentially fine, curly wood shavings formed into small bundles. You can buy plain wood wool in bulk or use simple wood wool firelighter blanks that are sold for barbecues and stoves.
I lay a batch of wood wool bundles out on a tray lined with baking paper or an old silicone mat. That gives me somewhere for the wax to drip and cool.
If you prefer, you can also pack wood wool into small paper cups or cardboard egg boxes, but loose bundles dipped in wax give a very flexible, reliable firelighter.
Step 3: Dip The Wood Wool In Molten Beeswax
Once the wax has fully melted and is holding a steady temperature, I use tongs to dip each wood wool bundle into the molten wax. I let the bubbles escape so the wax can soak right through the fibres, then lift it out and let the excess drip back into the pan.
For most purposes, one good dip is enough. If you want a longer burn time, you can dip each bundle a second time once the first coat has set.
The idea is to coat the fibres thoroughly without building such a thick shell of wax that the firelighter is hard to light. I place the dipped bundles back on the tray and leave them alone until they are completely cool and firm to the touch.
Step 4: Store And Use Your Firelighters
When the firelighters have hardened, I knock any loose wax off the tray, tidy them up and store them in a simple cardboard box or metal tin. They do not need to be airtight, but I keep them away from direct heat sources and out of reach of children.
To use them, I treat them just like any other firelighter. One bundle under a small stack of kindling in the wood burner or log stove is usually enough. Light the wood wool, let the beeswax catch and then allow it to do its job. You get a clean, steady flame without the harsh smell that comes with many commercial firelighters.
Because the wax has come from brood frames and scrap comb, I keep these firelighters for stoves, log burners and outdoor fires rather than anything that will be used directly for cooking food.
Safety Considerations
It is worth repeating the safety points. Never melt beeswax directly over a naked flame. Use a water bath or a thermostatically controlled wax melter and keep the temperature modest. Have a clear workspace, avoid trailing cables and keep children and pets well away while you are working.
If beeswax does ever catch fire, you must not throw water on it. Smother the flames by putting a lid on the pan and turning the heat off at the source. Planning ahead and working slowly goes a long way to reducing the chances of anything going wrong.
Closing The Loop On Old Brood Frames
Turning old brood frames into firelighters is a neat way of closing the loop on your wax. Clean cappings and nice comb go into your better wax stream for blocks or candles. The darker, heavily used comb still earns its keep by providing fuel for the fire. Very little ends up in the bin.
For small scale UK beekeepers this kind of approach makes a real difference. Your bees and equipment already represent a big investment. Recovering wax for practical uses helps you get more value from every frame, and there is a real satisfaction in lighting the stove on a winter evening with something your bees helped to make.
Watch Next: Beeswax Rendering Videos
If you would like to see simple beeswax rendering and filtering methods in action, these videos from my channel are a good place to start.
I Was Filtering Beeswax Like A FOOL! How To Filter Beeswax - Simple Beeswax Filtering - Cheap Beeswax Render -
Recommended Playlist: Rendering Beeswax
For more detail on cleaning and rendering beeswax from cappings, brood comb and general scrap wax, this playlist pulls everything together in one place.
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Learn More Inside 14 Day Beekeeper
Making the most of your beeswax is just one part of running an efficient, sustainable apiary. If you want structured, step by step guidance across the whole beekeeping year, from hive setup and swarm control through to honey extraction, comb management and winter preparation, you can learn more inside my 14 Day Beekeeper online training.
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