Beeswax
is a natural wax produced by honey bees. Chemically, beeswax consists mainly of esters of fatty acids and various long-chain alcohols. The hive workers collect and use it to form cells for honey-storage and larval and pupil protection within the beehive.
Beeswax has different applications in human food and flavoring. For example, it is used as a glazing agent, a sweetener, or as a light/heat source. It is approved for food use in most countries and the European Union.
The wax is formed by worker bees, which secrete it from eight wax-producing mirror glands on the inner sides of the sternites the sizes of these wax glands depend on the age of the worker, and after many daily flights, these glands begin to gradually atrophy.
The new wax is initially glass-clear and bright
Also, the wax becomes progressively more yellow or brown by incorporation of pollen oils and propolis . The wax scales are about 3mm (0.12in) across and 0.1mm (0.0039 in) thick and about 1100 are required to make a gram of wax.
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 deg;C to 36C (91deg;F to 97deg;F).
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.
