Beeswax defoamer??

[Jmsmithy]

Hello All

Hope everyone having good season...here in ADKs FINALLY boiling today. Collected few 100 gals sap overnight and getting ready light em in hour or so.

Was chatting w/ large producer (over 25k taps) from Vermont last season, he's cert organic ( I believe ) and was telling me that he swears by beeswax as a great, organic deforming agent....? Explaining that it's about a breaking of the surface tension and beeswax has enough "oily" consistency that it works as good if not better than the fats used in old days.....

Any thoughts/first hand experience with using beeswax as a defoamer??

[SeanD]

I heard the same thing from another producer. I am a little hesitant to use it b/c, I'm not sure of the right way to do it and if it would be okay to use it in syrup I sell. Not sure what it does to the filters. It's interesting the organic certified producer uses it.

Sean

[western mainer]

If you are selling it that may not be good as some people are allergic to honey, we have someone in our area that is.
Brian

[bees1st]

I'm interested in using it , but finding a " true " organic beeswax is very hard .

[Ausable]

Does Beeswax coat everything like paraffin wax does? Or does it act differently and flash off from the heat of the boiling syrup or blend with it? I ask - because - we used crude oil as a fuel for some of our boilers in an Electric Generating Plant and the paraffin in the crude was a royal pain. It coated and plugged everything from instrument lines to oil gun burner tips. I hope beeswax doesn't act that way.

[bees1st]

I think it would have a tendency to coat things , but only after they cool . It will float on the surface as a skim . Beeswax melts at 145 or so . It shouldn't be a problem with filtering as we filter at higher temps .