Smoke

Cool smoke makes the bees settle down, but at first it makes them buzz really loud. By now the queen should have been laying eggs, but I can't see any yet. Lots of capped honey though. I am amazed at how much comb they have made in two weeks. They have filled out about six and a half, seven frames both sides. The two mason jars on the front of the hive are feeders for the bees. It takes about six pounds of sugar to make one pound of wax.







Beeswax has many uses in furniture making.A lot of people make cosmetics and remedies from it, some make ornaments, one friend of mine makes candles from it. It smells wonderful. I did not know about cleaning products. Did you have anything specific in mind?
I am not expecting honey this year. Usually you leave the honey for the bees to winter over on in the first year, unless you have an especially long nectar flow that year. After that you can get anywhere from 50-100 pounds of honey per hive.