From the Hives

of the Burrs and the Bees Comes

Candle Care

Lighting and Maintaining your Candles • When lighting a candle, make sure the wick is trimmed to the proper length. A half inch wick is generally best – but for tapers, 3/8 of an inch is better. If the candle smokes or drips, then trim it a tad shorter. After a given burning time period (that varies based on the width for each candle), the pool of liquid wax may reach the edge. • To avoid over spills, trim the wick back. It is the height of the wick that determines the size of the flame, which in turn affects the width of the pool. • The larger the flame; the larger the melt pool. An untrimmed wick will cause a melt past the edge, making a mess and shortening the life of your candle. • At purchase time, each wick has been cut to the proper size. • If it appears that the candle is about to melt through the side, immediately extinguish the candle, let it cool, recheck the wick height, then relight the candle. • For wide bodied candles, if there is a soft wall of wax around the edge, this can be used to adjust the height of the wick. Carefully (because the wax is hot) push the walls into the pool of wax. This will raise the level of the pool, shortening the wick, and allowing more of the candle to be used a fuel. • Be careful not to push in too much wax, so it does not melt and flood the wick.