Paengaroa kids abuzz over beeswax wraps

Brylee Brackenridge and Jasmine Buchanan with Comvita’s Paula Firmin.

Students from Paengaroa School marked Bee Aware Month by making sustainable beeswax wraps using beeswax from locally-owned hives.

On September 12, representatives from local bee products company Comvita held two practical beeswax wraps making sessions with 80 Year 5-6 students.

To make the wraps, the kids brought cotton fabric from home, with Comvita providing beeswax and the other materials required, such as baking paper, irons and graters.

Comvita communications advisor Emma Schuler says Comvita is providing practical beeswax wrap- making classes to more than 400 Kiwi kids across the North Island as part of Bee Aware Month this September.

'Beeswax wraps are a great alternative to cling wrap for wrapping school lunches in. What better way for Comvita to help play our part in reducing single use plastics, than by teaching young people how to make a sustainable alternative, using wax from our own hives.

'It's also an opportunity to teach the kids about the amazing role bees play in our ecosystem and how they help preserve the natural environment around us, which is what Bee Aware Month is all about,” says Emma.

Throughout September, Comvita is also holding beeswax wrap-making classes at Kerikeri High School in Northland, Waverly Primary in Whanganui, Meeanee School in the Hawke's Bay and Dalefield School in the Wairarapa.

Organised by Apiculture New Zealand, Bee Aware Month aims to get New Zealanders thinking about honey bees and their contribution to biodiversity and the economy. This year's Bee Aware Month theme is Bee Health.

How to make your own beeswax wraps

Cut a square of fabric and then two pieces of baking paper, making sure both sheets are larger than your fabric. Place one piece of baking paper down on your workspace and place the bright side of your fabric face down on top of the baking paper.

Sprinkle a large amount of grated beeswax over your fabric and place the second piece of baking paper on top of the wax and fabric. Iron the wrap gently, until the wax melts evenly under the baking paper

While the wrap is still warm, carefully peel the baking paper off each side. When the wrap has cooled, trim the edges.

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