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Beeswax
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beeswax (Cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees of

the genus Apis. The wax is formed into "scales" by eight wax-
producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees,
who discard it in or at the hive. The hive workers collect and use
it to form cells for honey-storage and larval and pupal protection
within the beehive. Chemically, beeswax consists mainly of
esters of fatty acids and various long-chain alcohols.
A beekeeper from Vojka, Serbia
Beeswax has long-standing applications in human food and
making a bee hive frame.
flavoring. For example, it is used as a glazing agent, a sweetener,
or as a light/heat source. It is edible, in the sense of having
similar negligible toxicity to plant waxes, and is approved for
food use in most countries and the European Union under the E
number E901. However, the wax monoesters in beeswax are
poorly hydrolysed in the guts of humans and other mammals, so
they have insignificant nutritional value.[1] Some birds, such as
honeyguides, can digest beeswax. Beeswax is the main diet of
Wax moth larve.

Commercial honeycomb foundation,

Contents made by pressing beeswax between
patterned metal rollers
◾ 1 Production
◾ 2 Processing
◾ 3 Physical characteristics
◾ 4 Uses
◾ 5 Historical uses
◾ 6 See also
◾ 7 References
◾ 8 External links

Production Beeswax cake

The wax is formed by worker bees, which secrete it from eight wax-producing mirror glands on the
inner sides of the sternites (the ventral shield or plate of each segment of the body) on abdominal
segments 4 to 7.[2] The sizes of these wax glands depend on the age of the worker, and after many daily
flights, these glands begin to gradually atrophy.

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The new wax is initially glass-clear and colourless, becoming

opaque after mastication and adulteration with pollen by the hive
worker bees. Also, the wax becomes progressively more yellow
or brown by incorporation of pollen oils and propolis. The wax
scales are about 3 mm (0.12 in) across and 0.1 mm (0.0039 in)
thick, and about 1100 are required to make a gram of wax.[3]

Honey bees use the beeswax to build honeycomb cells in which

their young are raised with honey and pollen cells being capped
for storage. For the wax-making bees to secrete wax, the ambient
temperature in the hive must be 33 °C to 36 °C (91 °F to 97 °F). Uncapping beeswax honeycombs

The amount of honey used by bees to produce wax has not been
accurately determined. The book, Beeswax Production,
Harvesting, Processing and Products, suggests 1 pound of
beeswax is used to store 22 pounds honey.[4]:41 According to
Whitcomb's 1946 experiment, 6.66 to 8.80 pounds of honey
yields 1 pound of wax.[4]:35 Another study estimated that 24 to 30
pounds of honey is produced per pound of wax.[5][6]

Fresh wax scales (in the middle of the

Processing lower row)

When beekeepers extract the honey, they cut off the wax caps
from each honeycomb cell with an uncapping knife or machine. Its color varies from nearly white to
brownish, but most often a shade of yellow, depending on purity, the region, and the type of flowers
gathered by the bees. Wax from the brood comb of the honey bee hive tends to be darker than wax from
the honeycomb. Impurities accumulate more quickly in the brood comb. Due to the impurities, the wax
must be rendered before further use. The leftovers are called slumgum.

The wax may be clarified further by heating in water. As with petroleum waxes, it may be softened by
dilution with mineral oil or vegetable oil to make it more workable at room temperature.

Physical characteristics
Beeswax is a tough wax formed from a mixture of several compounds.

An approximate chemical
formula for beeswax is
C15H31COOC30H61.[7] Its main
components are palmitate,
Triacontanyl palmitate, a wax ester, is a major component of beeswax. palmitoleate, and oleate esters
of long-chain (30–32 carbons)
aliphatic alcohols, with the ratio of triacontanyl palmitate CH3(CH2)29O-CO-(CH2)14CH3 to cerotic acid

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[8]
CH3(CH2)24COOH, the two principal components, being 6:1. Wax content type Percentage
Beeswax can be classified generally into European and Oriental Hydrocarbons 14%
types. The saponification value is lower (3–5) for European
Monoesters 35%
beeswax, and higher (8–9) for Oriental types.
Diesters 14%
Beeswax has a relatively low melting point range of 62 °C to 64 °C Triesters 3%
(144 °F to 147 °F). If beeswax is heated above 85 °C (185 °F)
discoloration occurs. The flash point of beeswax is 204.4 °C (400 ° Hydroxy monoesters 4%
F).[9] Density at 15 °C is 958 kg/m³ to 970 kg/m³. Hydroxy polyesters 8%
Acid esters 1%
Natural beeswax:[10] When cold it is brittle; at ordinary Acid polyesters 2%
temperatures it is tenacious; its fracture is dry and granular. The sp.
gr. at 15 °C (59 °F) is from 0.958 to 0.975, that of melted wax at 98 Free fatty acids 12%
to 99 °C (208.4 to 210.2 °F) compared with water at 15.5 °C (59.9 ° Free fatty alcohols 1%
F) is 0.822. It softens when held in the hand, and melts at 62 to 66 °
Unidentified 6%
C (143.6 to 150.8 °F); it solidifies at 60.5 to 63 °C (140.9 to 145.4 °
F).

Uses
Beeswax has many and varied uses. Primarily, it is used by the
bees in making their honeycombs. Apart from this use by bees,
the use of beeswax has become widespread and varied. Purified
and bleached beeswax is used in the production of food,
cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. The three main types of
beeswax products are yellow, white, and beeswax absolute.
Yellow beeswax is the crude product obtained from the
honeycomb, white beeswax is bleached yellow beeswax, and
beeswax absolute is yellow beeswax treated with alcohol.[11] In
food preparation, it is used as a coating for cheese; by sealing out Beeswax candles and figures
the air, protection is given against spoilage (mold growth).
Beeswax may also be used as a food additive E901, in small
quantities acting as a glazing agent, which serves to prevent water loss, or used to provide surface
protection for some fruits. Soft gelatin capsules and tablet coatings may also use E901. Beeswax is also
a common ingredient of natural chewing gum.

Use of beeswax in skin care and cosmetics has been increasing. A German study found beeswax to be
superior to similar barrier creams (usually mineral oil-based creams such as petroleum jelly), when used
according to its protocol.[12] Beeswax is used in lip balm, lip gloss, hand creams, salves, and
moisturizers; and in cosmetics such as eye shadow, blush, and eye liner. Beeswax is also an important
ingredient in moustache wax and hair pomades, which make hair look sleek and shiny.

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Candle-making has long involved the use of beeswax, which is highly flammable, and this material
traditionally was prescribed for the making of the Paschal candle or "Easter candle". It is further
recommended for the making of other candles used in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church.[13]
Beeswax is also the candle constituent of choice in the Orthodox Church.[14]

[16]
Beeswax is an ingredient in surgical bone wax, which
is used during surgery to control bleeding from bone Top five beeswax producers (2012, in
surfaces; shoe polish and furniture polish can both use tonnes)
beeswax as a component, dissolved in turpentine or India 23 000
sometimes blended with linseed oil or tung oil; modeling
Ethiopia 5 000
waxes can also use beeswax as a component; pure
beeswax can also be used as an organic surfboard wax. Argentina 4 700
[17]
Beeswax blended with pine rosin, can serve as an Turkey 4 235
adhesive to attach reed plates to the structure inside a Republic of Korea 3 063
squeezebox. It can also be used to make Cutler's resin, an
adhesive used to glue handles onto cutlery knives. It is World total
used in Eastern Europe in egg decoration; it is used for Source: UN FAOSTAT
writing, via resist dyeing, on batik eggs (as in pysanky) (http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx) [15]
and for making beaded eggs. Beeswax is used by
percussionists to make a surface on tambourines for
thumb rolls. It can also be used as a metal injection moulding binder component along with other
polymeric binder materials.[18] Beeswax was formerly used in the manufacture of phonograph cylinders.
It may still be used to seal formal legal or Royal decree and academic parchments such as placing an
awarding stamp imprimatur of the university upon completion of post-graduate degrees.

Historical uses
Beeswax was among the first plastics to be used, alongside other natural
polymers such as gutta-percha, horn, tortoiseshell, and shellac. For
thousands of years, beeswax has had a wide variety of applications; it
has been found in the tombs of Egypt, in wrecked Viking ships, and in
Roman ruins. Beeswax never goes bad and can be heated and reused.
Historically, it has been used:

◾ As candles - the oldest intact beeswax candles north of the Alps

were found in the Alamannic graveyard of Oberflacht, Germany,
dating to 6th/7th century AD
◾ In the manufacture of cosmetics
◾ As a modelling material in the lost-wax casting process, or cire
perdue[19]
◾ For wax tablets used for a variety of writing purposes
◾ In encaustic paintings such as the Fayum mummy portraits[20] Beeswax candles,
◾ In bow making Alamannic graveyard
◾ To strengthen and preserve sewing thread, cordage, shoe laces, (Oberflacht, Germany),
etc. 6th/7th c. AD

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◾ As a component of sealing wax

◾ To strengthen and to forestall splitting and cracking of wind
instrument reeds
◾ To form the mouthpieces of a didgeridoo, and the frets on the
Philippine kutiyapi – a type of boat lute
◾ As a sealant or lubricant for bullets in cap and ball firearms
◾ To stabilize the military explosive Torpex – before being replaced
by a petroleum-based product
◾ In producing Javanese batik[21]
◾ As an ancient form of dental tooth filling[22][23]
Beeswax as Neolithic Dental
See also Filling

◾ Carnauba wax
◾ Honeycomb
◾ Paraffin wax
◾ Pysanka

References
1. Beeswax absorption and toxicity (http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/615.pdf). Large amounts of
such waxes in the diet pose theoretical toxicological problems for mammals.
2. Sanford, M.T.; Dietz, A. (1976). "The fine structure of the wax gland of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.).".
Apidologie. 7: 197–207. doi:10.1051/apido:19760301.
3. Brown, R, H. (1981) Beeswax (2nd edition) Bee Books New and Old, Burrowbridge, Somerset UK. ISBN
0-905652-15-0
4. Beeswax Production, Harvesting, Processing and Products, Coggshall and Morse. Wicwas Press. 1984-06-
01. ISBN 1878075063.
5. Les Crowder (2012-08-31). Top-Bar Beekeeping: Organic Practices for Honeybee Health. Chelsea Green
Publishing. ISBN 1603584617.
6. Top-bar beekeeping in America (http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/what-we-do/information-and-
education/info/file/1327).
7. Umney, Nick; Shayne Rivers (2003). Conservation of Furniture. Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 164.
8. "LIPID MAPS Databases : LIPID MAPS Lipidomics Gateway". Lipidmaps.org. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
9. "MSDS for beeswax".. No reported autoignition temperature has been reported
10. A Dictionary of Applied Chemistry, Vol. 5. Sir Edward Thorpe. Revised and enlarged edition. Longmans,
Green, and Co., London, 1916. "Waxes, Animal and vegetable. Beeswax", p. 737
11. [1] (http://www.webmd.com/vitamins_supplements)
12. Peter J. Frosch; Detlef Peiler; Veit Grunert; Beate Grunenberg (July 2003). "Wirksamkeit von
Hautschutzprodukten im Vergleich zu Hautpflegeprodukten bei Zahntechnikern – eine kontrollierte
Feldstudie. Efficacy of barrier creams in comparison to skin care products in dental laboratory technicians –
a controlled trial.". Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft (in German). Blackwell Synergy.
1 (7): 547–557. doi:10.1046/j.1439-0353.2003.03701.x. PMID 16295040. Retrieved 1/12/2008.
"CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that the use of after work moisturizers is highly beneficial and
under the chosen study conditions even superior to barrier creams applied at work. This approach is more
practical for many professions and may effectively reduce the frequency of irritant contact dermatitis." Check
date values in: |access-date= (help)
13. 'Altar Candles" (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01347a.htm), 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
14. [2] (http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/02/use-of-candles-in-orthodox-church.html), Use of Candles in
the Orthodox Church

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Beeswax - Wikipedia Page 6 of 6

15. "Statistics from: Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department:
The Statistical Division". UN Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database. Archived
from the original on 2011-07-13.
16. Uwe Wolfmeier, Hans Schmidt, Franz-Leo Heinrichs, Georg Michalczyk, Wolfgang Payer, Wolfram
Dietsche, Klaus Boehlke, Gerd Hohner, Josef Wildgruber "Waxes" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial
Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2002. doi:10.1002/14356007.a28_103 (https://dx.doi.org/10.1002%
2F14356007.a28_103).
17. 'Raw Beeswax Uses" (http://www.morenature.com/raw-beeswax-uses.html), MoreNature
18. 'Metal Injection Molding Process (MIM)" (http://www.enggpedia.com/chemical-engineering-
encyclopedia/dictionary/chemical-processes/1793-metal-injection-molding-process-mim), 2012 EngPedia
19. Congdon, L. O. K. (1985). "Water-Casting Concave-Convex Wax Models for Cire Perdue Bronze Mirrors".
American Journal of Archaeology. 89 (3): 511–515. JSTOR 504365.
20. Egyptology online (http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummy_portraits.htm)
21. Ormeling, F. J. 1956. The Timor problem: a geographical interpretation of an underdeveloped island.
Groningen and The Hague: J. B. Wolters and Martinus Nijhoff.
22. "Oldest tooth filling may have been found – Light Years – CNN.com Blogs". Lightyears.blogs.cnn.com.
Retrieved 2013-07-05.
23. "Don't Use Your Teeth". Retrieved 2013-12-13.

External links
◾ The chemistry of bees
Wikimedia Commons has
(http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2001/loveridge/)
media related to Beewax.
Joel Loveridge, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
[accessed November 2005]
Look up beeswax in
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