Beeswax Candle FAQs

Do you actually make these candles yourself, or do you resell them?
Yes — every candle is hand-poured or hand-rolled by me, Suz, in my home studio (The Hive) in Port Stephens, NSW. My beeswax is sourced directly from a third-generation beekeeper, and from there it's all me: I clean it, pour or roll every candle and mix every product myself. Nothing outsourced, nothing bought in ready-made. I've been doing this since 2009, and I'm still the only pair of hands in the process.

Can I buy Tea Lights without the cups (refills)?
Of course! Tea Light Refills are now available. Please note that you must burn these inside a suitable Tea Light Cup. If you don't have a suitable Tea Light Cup, please purchase my Tea Lights in cups — and save the cups to use refills in.

How can I get the best and longest life out of my Suz E Bee Candle?
Burn your candle somewhere free of draughts or breezes. Break off the very tip of the wick each time you relight it, and keep the wick straight and trimmed to around 5–6mm.

What's the best way to extinguish my candles?
Dip the wick! Blowing candles out leaves them smoking and smouldering, and risks splattering molten wax everywhere. Instead, use the end of a pen, pencil, or a proper wick dipper to drown the wick — this extinguishes the flame instantly with no smoke. Straighten the wick again afterwards, ready for next time.

My candle has stopped burning properly.
This is usually dust clogging the wick. Extinguish the flame, carefully tip out the molten wax (into a heatproof container), and once it's cooled, trim the wick to around 5–6mm and re-light.

What's the white cloudy film on my beeswax candle?
This white film is called bloom, and it's completely normal on pure beeswax. It happens as natural components in the wax migrate to the surface, usually a few weeks to a few months after the candle is made. You can remove it by wiping with a lint-free cloth, applying gentle heat from a hair dryer, or leaving the candle in warm sunlight — or simply leave it, as many people love the rustic look it gives. Bloom is actually a good sign: it's an easy way to confirm your candle is genuinely 100% pure beeswax.

Is your beeswax 100% pure — any added fragrance, colour, or fillers?
Yes, every one of my beeswax candles is 100% pure Australian beeswax, sourced from NSW beekeepers. I never mix in other waxes, oils, fragrance oils, dyes or fillers. My candles are naturally coloured — that light golden yellow comes straight from the hive, which I call "Natural" when describing that colour. Every step of my process is designed to bring out the natural beauty of the beeswax itself, nothing added, nothing hidden.

What are your wicks made of?
I only use pure cotton wicks, chosen and tested for the best burn quality for each candle. The only metal component is the wick tab/holder that anchors the wick in my Tea Lights and votive candles. See my candle care tips for more on getting the most out of yours.

What's the difference between poured and rolled candles?
Mainly burn time, texture and weight. A poured candle is hand-poured from molten wax into a mould, giving a smooth, dense candle with a longer burn time — and because it uses more wax, it's noticeably heavier too. A rolled candle is made by rolling honeycomb-textured foundation sheets — it's less dense and lighter, so it won't burn as long as a similarly sized poured candle.

I've had trouble burning other beeswax candles — will I have the same problem with yours?
I hope not!

Beeswax has to be properly cleaned to burn well, and mine is as clean as it comes. I slowly clean it and strain out as much debris and dirt as possible — no chemicals, no bleach. It's also about having the right wick size for the candle — a good burn is a balance between extremely clean beeswax and the correct sized wick for the candle. Between quality beeswax, wicks and moulds, and the time and care that goes into every candle, you can count on a clean, long-lasting burn from a Suz E Bee Candle.

Why does my Suz E Bee Candle measure slightly smaller than the size stated on your website?
My candle sizes are based on my candle moulds. I hand-pour 100% pure beeswax into each one, and the candle shrinks naturally as it cools — size variations are usually very minor. Rolled candles can vary slightly too, since the foundation sheets are cut to size by machine before rolling.

What can I do with my leftover beeswax candle bits or scraps?
You can turn leftover beeswax into all sorts of handy household goods — simple recipes are easy to find online. Or send it my way — I happily accept beeswax leftovers, clean it up, and pour fresh candles with it.

What makes beeswax candles better than other kinds?
Beeswax burns longer than paraffin, soy or palm wax candles, and shouldn't drip when properly cared for. It gives off a warm, golden light close to natural daylight, and carries a gentle honey aroma from the hive itself — no added fragrance oils needed. And unlike paraffin (refined from crude oil), soy wax (extracted and hydrogenated from soybean oil), or palm wax (processed from palm oil, often linked to deforestation), beeswax needs no industrial processing at all — it's made entirely by bees, and I simply clean and pour it. It's about as close to nature as a candle wax gets, and a genuinely renewable resource, with every healthy hive continuing to produce more.

What are your Shipping and Returns Policies?
You'll find my full shipping policy and returns information in the Terms and Conditions at the bottom of the page — candles are made to order (dispatch from 5 business days – check the website announcement bar for current timeframes), while crystals are ready stock (2–4 business days). Combination orders of Candles and Crystals will be dispatched once Candles are ready.

Where does beeswax come from?
Beeswax is made entirely by young worker bees — only bees around 8–21 days old have the wax glands needed to produce it. After gorging on honey, they secrete tiny flakes of liquid wax from eight glands on the underside of their abdomen, which harden the moment they hit the air. Other worker bees then collect these flakes and chew them with a little saliva and pollen to soften them, before building them into the hexagonal honeycomb cells that store the hive's honey.