FAQ's about our beeswax and candles

Do the bees always forage on natural  bushland / organic farmland?

Certified Organic:                     Yes

Conventional:            Not always, The bees do forage to pollinate other crops.
                                        
Are the bees kept 5 km away from farms ensuring they are not exposed  to chemicals:   

Certified Organic:                     Yes

Conventional:   No. But our beekeepers don't place their bees on crops that have been sprayed

Are chemicals used in the beehives?

Certified Organic:                     No

Conventional:        Usually not, but sometimes if needed for pest management.

Is your beeswax cleaned with chemicals?

Certified Organic:                     No

Conventional:                           No

Does the beeswax have any additives, eg other waxes or added oils?

Certified Organic:                     No

Conventional:                           No

Is the beeswax processed by Happy Flame? (Happy flame is a certified organic business)?

Certified Organic:                     Yes

Conventional:                           Yes

Does our beeswax have a sweet/floral aroma. (created by what
the bees put in) We do not filter out all the good things the bees put
in.

Certified Organic:                     Yes

Conventional:                           Yes

Is the beeswax the natural colour, Just as the bees created it?

Certified Organic:                     Yes

Conventional:                           Yes

Does the beeswax burn brightly? We ensure both types of candles burn perfectly.

Certified Organic:                     Yes

Conventional:                           Yes

We only use cotton wicks. No metals or other substances in our wicks.

They are made for us, specifically for our candles. We are VERY fussy about our wicks to ensure they are natural.

Yes. We don't add anything to our beeswax and it is ALL purchased
locally direct from Australian beekeepers that we have known for years.
 We do not use imported beeswax which can have additives.

Yes. We make all our candles and lanterns by hand, no machines, with care and good intent. We do this to ensure every candle is the very best it can be... and so very special to use.

We are often asked whether we make the candles as there is so
few people actually making the products they sell. “Hand made” does not
necessarily mean the people that sell it actually make it. Whether they
make it by machine or buy the candles (or beeswax) from overseas, there
are very few actual true beeswax candle makers in Australia.

We are full time candles makers.
We start with the raw beeswax and take it through the entire process of
cleaning the beeswax and craft our candles and lanterns. Hand crafted
by us, not machines.

You can burn our candles as long as you wish. That is, you can burn the
entire candle in one sitting. No "maximum" burn times with our candles. More information in our candle care section.

Burn your candles until the entire top of the candle is melted, ie
the pool of wax is right to the edge. For the larger candles this could
be up to 6 hours.

We make different sized candles to match up with how you like to use your candles. For example, if you only burn your candle for 10 minutes for mediation we recommend a narrow taper candle. Another example is tea lights, which need to burn 2 hours each time they are used. See all the recommended burn times in the following question.

We recommend having a range of candles of different sizes for different times of the day or different events. Our pack of candles called the "Daily routine pack" is a great way to have all the different candles.

So the candles use the maximum amount of beeswax and they can burn the longest, we recommend the following minimum burning times:

Tapers/ candle sticks: no minimum eg 5 minutes

Tea lights & votives: 2 hours

Byron Lights: 2 hours

Star candles: 2 hours

Flower of Life 3 hours

Spirit of Byron: 5 hours

Reflection: 6+ hours

There are two methods we recommend:

The first is to fill them with cold water. Put the holder in the fridge and let it sit for a few hours (I
normally leave it over night) and the wax will loosen. The cold water
makes the beeswax shrink, away from the glass. Give the wax a little tug and it will pop out.  

The metal tab will sometimes be a little more stubborn. Flick it out with a round tipped knife or heat the tab with a bbq lighter and
it will slide out.

The second method, for really stubborn beeswax, is to put the
holders in a bowl /sink with hot soapy water - NOT BOILING water as
boiling water may create a thin film of wax that covers everything :)
With the hot soapy water the beeswax will then come away with the heat.

Save your beeswax and you can then use it to make new candles by using our recycling beeswax kit available in our store here. (click)

Before lighting the candle for the first time, trim the wick to 1 cm.
Don’t trim the wick after you have lit the candle for the first time. We use self-trimming wicks, so they look after themselves after being lit.

Don’t drain the melted wax off your candle. Beeswax candles need the melted wax fuel for the flame

Yes! 100% happy guarantee:

We want you to be 100% satisfied with your Happy Flame Beeswax Candles.

If something is broken on the way to you, let us know and we will replace at no charge.

Not happy with how the candle burns or you are not sure if it is creating the amount of candle it should? We will happily replace it at no charge.

It is so important to us that you are 100% happy with the candles or lanterns you purchase, so if in doubt please contact us.

Contact us here... we are more than happy to help.

Yes, we now have a range of candles that are made from certified organic beeswax .

We (Happy Flame) are a  Certified Organic Operation, certified
by Southern Cross who is known as one of the leading organic certification organisation in Australia so you can trust this beeswax is truly free from synthetic agricultural chemicals including pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. This is locally source beeswax, not from overseas.

There are two definitions to organic:

1. Living. live, biological, natural, "organic matter"

2. Farming method involving production without the use of synthetic agricultural chemicals including pesticides, fungicides and herbicides

So, yes all beeswax is "organic" as it is a natural product. All our
beeswax comes from beekeepers who look after their bees and do their
best to make sure the bees do not fly to farms that have been sprayed
with any chemicals and have access to a wide range of flowers to feed.
This is good, Australian beeswax.

Certified organic beeswax goes one step further : it is free of synthetic agricultural chemicals including pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.
So  the bees have not been exposed to flowers that have been sprayed
with chemicals, their hives are chemical free and pests that effect the
bees are treated naturally.

Our Certified organic beeswax gives you the peace of mind that when you burn one of our candles there will be no toxic fumes.

Yes, bees can actually fly up to 10 kilometres , sometimes a little more if there is a good source of nectar/ flowers.

To be certified organic the beekeeper needs to take the bees to areas
where they can fly this distance and not make contact with farms.

To do this they travel huge distances to place their bees in the wide
open cattle country in the west or in state forests and National Parks.
This is hard work.

Up to this point over 98% of all certified organic beeswax in Australia
was purchased by large cosmetic companies at high prices. We now have
access to a small supply as the beekeeper wants his beeswax to stay in
Australia and create local products. We are very grateful for their
support.

Yes. Certified organic beeswax has an amazing aroma. Some say it is a
little sweeter some say it has more floral aromas. This is due to the
flowers the bees have visited.  The result is a wonderful sweet honey
aroma like no other.

Do you have more questions? Please don't hesitate to email or call us.

Our natural beeswax is sourced locally... that means around the
Northern Rivers area, in NSW Australia: Byron Bay, Lismore, Ballina,
Broadwater, Drake, Bentley, Casino, Tenterfield, and Lennox Head.

We  collect beeswax from the very
cleanest areas of Australia… the Northern Rivers of NSW. Surrounded by
rain forests and farms that fight to ensure the health of the land. You
may remember the battle we had at Bentley (one of our areas where bees
gather) to stop coal seam gas mining.
This is a special part of the world that produces amazing food and the
bees therefore visit the very best plants on the planet.

We do NOT use  beeswax from China or America, you would be amazed how many candle makers use beeswax from China.

No. Our beeswax is cleaned with rainwater, so chlorine free

We use local beeswax (not from overseas) and the colour of the wax is due to three reasons:

1. The colour is determined by what flowers the bees have
visited (and the nectar and pollen they collect), what part of the hive
the beeswax comes from and what has been filtered from the wax. So enjoy
the colour, and enjoy the  natural honey aroma.The wax we choose and create our candles from is a brighter yellow than most candles you can purchase.

2. We do not filter out all the good things the bees put into the
wax. The more you refine beeswax the less yellow it is. I am sure you
have seen light brown  or off-white beeswax… this has been highly
refined. Some candles even are treated with chemicals.

 3. Colour can also be varied by the honey extraction process and the heat that is used.

Our beeswax will vary in colour as the saesons change. Enjoy!

Yes we do at times, but it is rare so always email us to check if there is any available.

Beware though, there are two types of "white" beeswax.

1. Natural: The bees gather the right balance of nectar/pollen to create natural, white wax. This is the type we use when available.

2. Chemical bleached... which is therefore full of chemicals and could be toxic when burnt so we will never use it. 

No. We use only the cleanest rainwater water to clean our beeswax. No chemicals. Some people who make candles add chemicals to the water to
clean their wax... it is quicker that way. We don’t, and never will. We
take the time to clean it safely.

No. We do not add ANY type of oil to our candles. Most candle makers do because it makes their candles burn hotter/easier... and in some cases is the only way they ensure their candles burn at all. 

When you burn oil it can create toxic fumes.

We keep our candles pure, 100% beeswax, nothing added so there are no toxic fumes created.

No. We do not add ANY other waxes to our candles. We use 100%
pure beeswax for our candles and lanterns. Many candle makers do add
other waxes as they (the other wax) is cheaper. Also, if, say paraphin is added to beeswax it makes the candle burn even if the candle is made badly).

It is Important not to have other waxes in the beeswax candles so that you know there are no chemicals in the candles... and you have the
experience of the sweet honey aroma. Also, pure beeswax candles are natural ionizers so you have the health benefits of cleaner air.

Beware, there is no regulations on candles in Australia so some
people say they have “Beeswax” candles but the candle only has 10%
beeswax, the rest is usually toxic paraffin wax. This is why we say that
we use ”100%” beeswax.

More information and research about other types of candles:

Article on cancer concerns for other candles here.

A beeswax candle emits negative ions, these ions act as a "cleanser" for the surrounding air because toxins such as dust, pollen, germs and mildew are charged with positives ions. When the two meet the air is purified.

Soy is not a natural wax. It is a heavy metal hydrogenated oil.

96% of soybeans grown globally are Monsanto genetically- modified
soy beans. Pesticides and other chemicals are used in soybean farming.

Many soy candles add palm oil to make them firm. The fragrances
used are mostly artificial, petrochemical- derived oils and therefore
can cause toxic fumes.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) expresses our other concerns  best:

Soy plantations are causing a huge problem with deforestation.
We should not  use Soy for candles to add to this problem. See their
thoughts here:

http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_forests/deforestation/forest_conversion_agriculture/soy_deforestation_social/

Sadly the increased use of Palm oils/products has caused a rush
in plantations which has meant the massive destruction of forests. This
in turn has effected so many animals, including the orangutans.  See
here for WWF description of the problems faced:

http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_forests/deforestation/forest_conversion_agriculture/orang_utans_palm_oil/

The number of bees in a hive varies greatly bu there can be up to 50,000 in a single colony. The number of bees depend on many factors including how much food is available for the bees, eg more food = more bees bred.

There is a queen bee which is the only female that breeds in the colony.The majority of the bees are female worker bees.
The worker bees have a huge range of jobs including gathering the pollen / nectar, build the comb cells, feeding the larvae, clean the cells, guarding the hive, cooling the hive. Male drones is the third bee in a hive and they mate with the Queen bee.

The buzzing is the bee breathing through 14 valves called spiracles.

The valves are located on the side of their body.

The  worker bees gather pollen and nectar from flowers and return it to the hive for storage in the comb cells. The bees then change the
nectar and pollen into honey by adding chemicals that are secreted from their heads. The chemicals change the nectar sugars into honey sugars.
The honey is eaten by the bees and fed to the older larvae. Young larvae are given “brood food” by the bees.

Yes, we have permission (by the Dept Agriculture) to send our lanterns, candles and beeswax blocks/pellets to Western Australia.

Yes, we send our candles and beeswax to all countries around the world, including New Zealand. New Zealand has the strictest requirements for beeswax but we have received premission from the NZ Dept of Agriculture to send our products there.

A bee have been known to fly up to 10 kilometers from the hive to gather nectar and pollen. They can visit up to 100 flowers on a trip before returning.