Beekeepers host candle workshop in Hanson with John ‘the Bee Man’ Phillips of the Plymouth County Beekeepers Association
HANSON — A beeswax candle-making seminar hosted at the Plymouth County Beekeepers Association and Hanson Food Pantry building on High Street Nov. 21 was both motivating and educational for more than a dozen people.
Candles are a popular gift item and, with the holidays in full swing, and what better than gifting something homemade? Many of those in attendance were mainly part of the Beekeepers Association, according to John “the Bee Man” Phillips of Hanson, whose goal is to educate others about apiculture.
“Candle making is interesting and can be fun. Overall it was well attended,” Phillips said.
In past years, turnout for the workshop was good — but with several local activities occurring simultaneously Phillips thought there were slightly fewer people this year. He is considering doing another candle making seminar in the months to come if there is an interest in the community.
Phillips also offers a woodworking seminar in which Beekeepers Association members can receive assistance in setting up their wooden hives. Beekeepers Association membership does cost a small yearly fee to join.
Phillips has been a bee keeper since 1971 and a club member since 1978. The club itself had been established in the late 1960s. He offers teaching on bee topics and assists in maintaining the building.
He has two hives at his home and said his honey production last year was averaged at about 40 pounds.
Most people in the club got a similar amount of honey the median around 40 pounds, which is good considering the South Shore is close to the ocean, and spring weather is wet and raw. There are many factors which affect the production of honey, he said.
Further inland Massachusetts bee keepers easily double the production of honey with the increased warmer, drier atmosphere.
During the candle workshop, Phillips and other club members melted approximately ten pounds of wax, which was demonstrated as one of the four to five steps in candle making.
At home his wax is melted via a sun-solar wax melter and then it is purified before making candles. The wax is boiled down and poured into rubber molds mainly to keep the shape and they easily split apart to release the candles.
To quicken the process several molds were placed in the freezer to cool the wax but he said he doesn’t often do that. Everyone left with a candle following the seminar.
The website for the Plymouth County Beekeepers Association contains information and invitations about upcoming Beekeeping School, which will be held this winter for approximately eight weeks at the Pembroke Community center. For more information, visit plymouthcountybeekeepers.org.