Beeswax is produced by honeybees. The nectar from 17 million flowers enables bees to produce 8 1/2 lb. of honey. According to the Beeswax Candle Works website, this is the amount of honey needed to produce only 1 lb. of beeswax. When honeybees consume honey, a waste product called wax is secreted from glands located on a bee’s abdomen. This waste product is typically used to produce beeswax candles.
Pillars
A pillar candle weighing 1 lb. will be approximately 3-by-5 inches in size and burn for at least 100 hours. This burn time is for solid beeswax candles. Candles that are dipped or rolled will have shorter burn times. It is also important to keep burning candles away from drafts because this will cause an uneven burn and shorten the life of the candle.
Tea Lights and Votives
Tea lights are small candles in a tin. Provided they are made of 100 percent beeswax, each tea light will burn for 8 to 9 hours. Votives are typically 2 inches in diameter and 3 inches tall. Pure beeswax votives have an average burn time of 16 hours. Before relighting a votive, trim the wick to about a 3/8 inch.
Tapers
Pure beeswax has a higher melting point than paraffin and contains no chemicals. Beeswax burns longer and cleaner, and drips less than candles made from other types of wax. Solid beeswax tapers will generally burn for 1 hour per inch in length. Burn time will vary for candles of varying width as well.