Wax Cell Cups

Wax cups are made by repeatedly dipping a wooden former in molten wax. They are the oldest form of artificial queen cell base.

Making them

• A dowel with a rounded tip is dipped in cold water
• Then dipped several times briefly in molten wax, each time slightly less deep
• After cooling the cup twists off the dowel

The first dip determines the base thickness; the following ones build the wall. Too thin and the cup collapses; too thick and the bees chew it away.

Advantages

• Very good acceptance: The bees recognise wax and need not accept a foreign material
• No odour problem as with plastic straight from the packaging
• Made from your own wax
• Cheap in materials

Disadvantages

• Single use: The cup is lost at harvest
• Labour: Making them takes time
• Less consistent in size than plastic
• Brittle in cold conditions

Which wax

This matters more than it seems. Use cappings wax — the cleanest source there is, never brood and carrying the fewest residues.

Wax from old brood comb is unsuitable for this purpose: the larva lies directly in it, and fat-soluble substances accumulate precisely in wax.

Storage

• Cool and dark
• Protected from wax moth
• Away from smells; wax takes them up
• Do not stack; they deform

When they are preferable

For small numbers and where acceptance is poor. Making them costs time, but it delivers the most reliable acceptance there is.