"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:
|
| Mice certainly do eat beeswax, but I don't know under what
circumstances.
|
| They will eat comb, either in or outside a hive. It's easy to bite and
| usually contains somethiing nice - honey, pollen or larvae.
|
| Great chunks of solid wax - from 1 to 60 lbs are not as easy :-)

They eat beeswax candles.

Evidence?

Mary


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:
|
| | Mice certainly do eat beeswax, but I don't know under what
| circumstances.
| |
| | They will eat comb, either in or outside a hive. It's easy to bite and
| | usually contains somethiing nice - honey, pollen or larvae.
| |
| | Great chunks of solid wax - from 1 to 60 lbs are not as easy :-)
|
| They eat beeswax candles.
|
| Evidence?

Personal, historic and second-hand. The books you don't read are
very good sources of information on such mundane issues :-) I have
also had beeswax candles eaten by mice, and have known other people
who have, too.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:
|
| | Mice certainly do eat beeswax, but I don't know under what
| circumstances.
| |
| | They will eat comb, either in or outside a hive. It's easy to bite
and
| | usually contains somethiing nice - honey, pollen or larvae.
| |
| | Great chunks of solid wax - from 1 to 60 lbs are not as easy :-)
|
| They eat beeswax candles.
|
| Evidence?

Personal, historic and second-hand. The books you don't read are
very good sources of information on such mundane issues :-) I have
also had beeswax candles eaten by mice, and have known other people
who have, too.

I make hundreds of beeswax candles a yar, possibly thousands this year.
They've never been eaten.

What books would you suggest? I have quite a large collection :-)

Tallow candles were eaten by mice and rats, which is one reason why they
were not stored for long and then out of reach of rodents.

Nobody I know has had beeswax candles eaten by rodents.

Incidentally Prices Candles used to make tallow candles for HM Forces and
arctic/Antarctic explorers. They were VAT zero rated because they were made
from food.

Mary


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:
|
| I make hundreds of beeswax candles a yar, possibly thousands this year.
| They've never been eaten.
|
| What books would you suggest? I have quite a large collection :-)

I am getting too old. My memory of "where" is not what it was.
If I recall, it was in some 19th century childrens' books and others
that had references to empty houses. Beeswax was the standard hard
wax in the UK before the industrial revolution.

| Tallow candles were eaten by mice and rats, which is one reason why they
| were not stored for long and then out of reach of rodents.

Oh, indeed. They were actually nutritous. They also rot in warm,
humid conditions.

| Nobody I know has had beeswax candles eaten by rodents.

I have seen that - but am not prepared to swear that the mice regarded
them as MUCH more edible than PVC. The damage was the amount that is
typical for potatoes or PVC.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:
|
| I make hundreds of beeswax candles a year, possibly thousands this
year.
| They've never been eaten.
|
| What books would you suggest? I have quite a large collection :-)

I am getting too old. My memory of "where" is not what it was.
If I recall, it was in some 19th century childrens' books and others
that had references to empty houses.

I doubt that wax would have been left in empty houses.

Beeswax was the standard hard
wax in the UK before the industrial revolution.

You think I don't know that? :-)

| Tallow candles were eaten by mice and rats, which is one reason why
they
| were not stored for long and then out of reach of rodents.

Oh, indeed. They were actually nutritous. They also rot in warm,
humid conditions.

| Nobody I know has had beeswax candles eaten by rodents.

I have seen that - but am not prepared to swear that the mice regarded
them as MUCH more edible than PVC. The damage was the amount that is
typical for potatoes or PVC.

So that - and your C19th children's books, are your evidence?

I asked for evidence. I doubt that you'd accept that :-)

Mary

In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:
|
| I am getting too old. My memory of "where" is not what it was.
| If I recall, it was in some 19th century childrens' books and others
| that had references to empty houses.
|
| I doubt that wax would have been left in empty houses.

Yes, it was. The aristocracy often lived in different houses during
different times of year, and such durable consumables were not moved
with the inhabitants. The same would have happened with the people
(e.g. some shepherds) who had fixed accomodation but lived away from
it for extended periods.

| Beeswax was the standard hard
| wax in the UK before the industrial revolution.
|
| You think I don't know that? :-)

Of course you do - others may not.

| I have seen that - but am not prepared to swear that the mice regarded
| them as MUCH more edible than PVC. The damage was the amount that is
| typical for potatoes or PVC.
|
| So that - and your C19th children's books, are your evidence?

Sigh. It is not all. As I said, I have had several people tell me
the same, and I have seen references in other books, too.

| I asked for evidence. I doubt that you'd accept that :-)

I would accept it as evidence. If you can provide evidence that you
know the difference between mouse damage and other damage, I would
regard it as proof that mice sometimes eat such candles. I did NOT
claim that beeswax was a significant item of a mouses diet, or that
they favoured it as food.

Please do distinguish (a) evidence from proof and (b) evidence of
occurrence from evidence of prevalence.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

|
| I doubt that wax would have been left in empty houses.

Yes, it was. The aristocracy often lived in different houses during
different times of year, and such durable consumables were not moved
with the inhabitants. The same would have happened with the people
(e.g. some shepherds) who had fixed accomodation but lived away from
it for extended periods.

Shepherds would not have used beeswax candles.

I think I know more about this subject than you do.

I'm sure there are many things you know more about than I do :-)

Mary