Subject: 'Chewing Wax' <Richard says:> On holiday in Germany this summer, I saw a market stall selling hive products including jars labelled 'KAUWACHS' (Chewing wax). It appeared to be nothing more than minced up pieces of comb, presumably from frames which had been extracted. It was priced at 7 Marks, which was a lot more than a jar of honey. I've never seen it anywhere else. Is it a German speciality, or is someone being enterprising and trying to create a demand for a new product? Richard Bunce. ([log in to unmask]) <end quotes> Hi Richard, When I a was a boy, and ice and milk, with cream, were delivered to the home, honey was also dropped off at the door to my home in Monterey, California, 1940's. It came in quart fruit jars and always had a layer of clean white wax capping on top. Like the first one to the milk got all the cream, the first one to the honey got all the "chewing wax". And like the cream we thought that was the best part of the honey. I am sure the reason for the wax on top was to give visual proof that it was pure honey, and not some kind of sugar syrup. I have seen beekeepers at different times selling just capping wax with honey, the problem they run into is the honey tends to crystallize fast. A few years ago in one health food craze cycle pollen was also gouged out with the wax and honey, then you add the problems of pollen worms, (mis named wax worms), with the granulated honey. This all keeps the market limited to local customers and in fact would be in violation of many state laws here that say honey shall bee 100% pure honey, and if anything else is in the same jar it must be labeled adulterated. (in big print) Not too good for sales.... ttul Andy- ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___ / \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/XXX\___/ \___/ \___/ \___/XXX\ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \XXX/:::\___/:::\___/:::\___/:::\XXX/ /XXX\ For INDEX of Beekeeping FAQs`::::::::::::::::::::::::::::/ \ \XXX/ e-mail to: [log in to unmask] `:::::::::::::::::::::::\___/ / \ __ __ `:::::::::::::::/ \ \___/ / \ \^+^/ / \ Andy Nachbaur `::::::\___/ / \ \ \(O O)/ / Wild Bee's BBS `:::/ \ \___/ \ \\_// //-->> BEENET.COM `:\___/ / \ ------oOO--Y--OOo---------------------------- :/ \ \___/ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ \___/ / \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/XXX\___/ \___/ \ \___/ \___/XXX\___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \XXX/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \XXX/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/ \___/