Solar Wax Melter

01 · HOW IT WORKS

62 °C: that is all it has to reach

Beeswax melts between 62 and 65 °C. Under the cover in full sun the inside goes well past that: the wax melts, runs down the stainless plate and drops into the tray, while what does not melt — cocoons, pollen residue, wood — stays behind. No electricity, no steam, no water.

The catch is in the small print, and it is worth knowing before you buy: the maker asks for 27 °C outside and strong radiation. On a cloudy day, or in March, no solar melter is worth anything.

02 · WHAT FITS

The measurement that decides is 48 × 53 cm

Frames go in lying flat on the plate, so what governs is the usable surface: 48 × 53 cm, 7.2 cm deep. A Layens or Dadant brood frame goes in easily lengthwise and eats up much of the depth, so count on two brood frames per batch — the maker puts the capacity at four, and with a large frame that sum does not add up.

If you need more volume there is the Jumbo extension: it hangs the frames vertically, takes frames up to 285 mm tall and raises the batch to twelve Dadant frames. It is bought separately.

03 · WHAT WAX TO PUT IN

Cappings yes; old brood comb, not much

The solar melter gives its best wax with cappings and light comb, which melt clean and yield well. Old brood comb is another story: much of what looks like wax is cocoons and residue, so it yields little and leaves a lot behind on the plate.

And the wax that reaches the tray is not ready for foundation: it comes out free of coarse debris, but it needs remelting and filtering before you use it.

04 · MAINTENANCE

The timber arrives bare, and it will not last that way

The body is supplied unpainted and untreated. Before you leave it out in the weather it needs two or three coats on the outside of water-based hive paint or linseed oil; without that protection the maker itself does not vouch for how long it lasts.

And a warning from people already using it: the legs are light. On a windy site it pays to weight the stand down or set the melter on the ground, because tipped over it melts nothing.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is a summer machine, and only a summer machine: