Chris asked "One reads tales of woe about the price of honey in the USA. 
What is the
price of beeswax?"
 These are *wholesale* case quantity prices to stores, farm stands, other 
beekeepers, etc.:
 The price of 'normal' wax, meaning that made from cappings with some frame 
wax added in, is about $1.50 a pound (about 450 g). Wax made from cappings 
alone is about $2.25.
 Honey in 5 gallon pails (60 lbs, or about 27 kilos) is running $1.00 to 
$2.00 a pound. Only the desperate are paying $2.00 and those with 30 or more 
pails to sell are getting right around $1.00. Honey in 600 lb. barrells (273 
kilos) is $.60 to $1.00 a pound, and those with 100 or more barrells to sell 
are much more likely to get $.60 than anything higher.
 What I find interesting is the market for comb honey. I am having no 
difficulty selling round sections (8-9 ounces, or 225-250 g) for $3.75-$3.85 
here on the East Coast. On the West Coast the price is about $3.00. Cut comb 
sections (12 or 16 ounces) are selling for $4.00-$6.00 on the East Coast. 
There is almost no cut comb produced on the West Coast, and it ships poorly. 
However, here on the EAst Coast there is a huge supply of entire wood frames 
of comb honey suitable for cutting into sections as cut comb or pieces for 
chunk honey. These are selling for $1.50 a pound. Which is a crazy price as 
it is far too low.
 I speculate that what is going on is that the producers have no interest or 
idea of how to market this, and the buyers are taking advantage. At $1.50 a 
pound the producers are getting just a little more than they would get if 
they produced extracted honey (considering the reduction in yield), but they 
are saving the investment in extracting and related equipment as well as the 
labor. The buyers have to invest in labor to cut, drain, freeze and package 
the product, plus about $.90 for the package and label. Nonetheless, they 
are making a far higher profit than they make on extracted honey. If you are 
a consumer, there is a real shortage of comb honey.
 Finally, the market for creamed or spun honey is rapidly expanding. So far, 
few producers are willing (or knowledgable) to make it and fewer yet are 
interested in marketing it. At around $35-$40 for a case of 12 one-pound 
jars, the profits are certainly comparable to those from round section comb 
honey. 


-- 
Lloyd Spear
Owner Ross Rounds, Inc.
Manufacture of equipment for round comb honey sections,
Sundance Pollen Traps, and producer of Sundance custom labels.
Contact your dealer or www.RossRounds.com <http://www.RossRounds.com>

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