How to separate propolis from wax: 6 ways to clean impurities at home

Bee glue, or propolis, is considered one of the most beneficial bee products. Healing ointments, cosmetics, infusions and decoctions are made from a natural gift at home. After being removed from the hive, bee glue contains wax and many foreign additives. But how to properly separate propolis from wax and get a clean, he althy product, let's look at the details below.

What is it for

In the course of their life activity, insects collect tree resin, which, after being treated with bee secretion, turns into a sticky substance, ouzu, or propolis. In the hive, the product mixes with wax and other foreign matter.

After removing the glue from the hive, the bond must be cleaned before consumption and use. To get a clean, healing product, there are several stages and methods for cleaning the bee gift.

Important! When extracting propolis from the hive, particles of wood, dirt, dust and other foreign substances get into it, reducing the value of the beekeeping product.

How to clean propolis from impurities at home

Purified bee glue is characterized by the following features:

a well-cleaned bond has an amber hue, greenish blotches are possible;
the taste of the product is tart, with hints of bitterness, pleasant aroma and aftertaste;
fresh bee glue sticks to teeth when consumed.

If a bee product is too light in color, it means that it is poorly cleaned of wax inclusions. Dark brown or black color indicates long-term storage of bonds.

Initial cleaning

Initially, bee glue is cleaned of large foreign bodies that got there in the process of extracting the substance from the hive. To do this, wood particles, large pieces of wax, dried insects and other foreign objects visible to the naked eye are removed from the collected propolis.

Important! Primary cleaning is the initial stage in preparing propolis for further use, because there are still many small particles in the glue, which also need to be disposed of.

With water

Bee glue is cleaned of foreign ingredients with ordinary cold water.

For the procedure you will need:

pre-cleaned bee product;
large capacity;
sharp knife or regular grater;
paper or natural fabric on which propolis will dry after cleaning.

Water is placed in the refrigerator for several hours. During this time, the bond is crushed to a crumb state. Next, the bee gift is poured into a container with chilled liquid and mixed thoroughly. Heavy glue settles on the bottom of the container, and all the wax, debris, dust and impurities float to the surface. Foreign particles are collected from the surface of the water using a fine sieve. Next, the liquid is filtered through gauze, and the propolis is spread on a flat surface covered with paper or cloth, and left to dry completely.

Small balls are molded from the finished product, sorted into bags or small containers and sent for storage in the refrigerator.

Advice! For high-quality cleaning, bee glue is left in water for 60-90 minutes, periodically stirring the ouza.

In a water bath

During heat treatment, propolis does not lose its healing and beneficial properties, so you can clean the product of wax particles using a water bath.

To do this, pieces of glue are placed in a convenient container and placed in water heated to 70-80 degrees. On a quiet fire, the bond melts, remaining at the bottom, and wax and excess substances float to the surface. Next, the water and wax are drained, and the pure propolis is dried and stored in the refrigerator.

Using a home refrigerator

You can also clean bee glue with a home refrigerator, namely a freezer. The product that has passed the first stage of purification is placed in a freezer for a day. Next, the frozen knot is ground on a grater.Wax in frozen and crushed form turns into fine flour or dust, which is screened out through a sieve. Large peeled pieces of propolis remain on the surface of the sieve, which are put in bags for further storage in the refrigerator.

Important! Purification of propolis by freezing does not guarantee getting rid of all additional impurities in the product.

Use of centrifuge

For thorough cleaning of bee glue, a special device called a centrifuge is used. In this case, propolis is initially frozen, crushed and sieved. Propolis remaining in the sieve after sifting is placed in a centrifuge for final purification from impurities.

How to clean the product collected from the canvases

Small pieces of canvas fabric are specially placed in the hive to collect a valuable product. As a result, the laps are completely saturated with glue and it will not work just like that to remove it from the surface of the fabric.

To get the desired propolis, the tissue from the beehive is placed in the freezer and left for a day. Frozen propolis is fragile, well departs from the canvas, while the wax remains on the fabric. For deeper cleaning of bee glue, use any of the previously listed methods.