Beeswax

For the 2009 lm, see Beeswax (lm).Beeswax is a natural wax produced by individual

A beekeeper from Vojka, Serbia making a bee hive frame.

Commercial honeycomb foundation, made by pressing beeswaxbetween patterned metal rollers

Beeswax cake

Uncapping beeswax honeycombs

Fresh wax scales (in the middle of the lower row)

honey bees of the genus Apis. The wax is formed intoscales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominalsegments 4 through 7 of worker bees, who discard it inor at the hive. The hive workers collect and use it forcomb structural stability, to form cells for honey-storageand larval and pupal comfort and protection within thebee hive. Chemically, beeswax consists of mainly estersof fatty acids and various long-chain alcohols.Small amounts of beeswax have human food and avoringapplications, and are edible in the sense of having similartoxicity to undigestable plant waxes. However, the waxmonoesters in beeswax are poorly hydrolysed in the gutsof humans and other mammals, so are not considered ashaving a signicant nutritional value.[1] Some birds, suchas honeyguides, can digest beeswax.

1

2 4 USES

1 ProductionThe wax is formed by worker bees, which secrete it fromeight wax-producing mirror glands on the inner sides ofthe sternites (the ventral shield or plate of each segmentof the body) on abdominal segments 4 to 7. The sizes ofthese wax glands depend on the age of the worker, andafter many daily ights, these glands begin to graduallyatrophy.The new wax is initially glass-clear and colourless, be-coming opaque after mastication and adulteration withpollen by the hive worker bees. Also, the wax becomesprogressively more yellow or brown by incorporation ofpollen oils and propolis. The wax scales are about 3 mm(0.12 in) across and 0.1 mm (0.0039 in) thick, and about1,100 are required to make a gram of wax.[2]

Honey bees use the beeswax to build honeycomb cells inwhich their young are raised with honey and pollen cellsbeing capped for storage. For the wax-making bees tosecrete wax, the ambient temperature in the hive must be33 to 36 C (91 to 97 F).The amount of honey sacriced to wax productionis presently disputed. Current thinking suggests acorrelation between the amount of honey used to pro-duce its equivalent weight in wax and the amount of waxused to store its equivalent weight in honey. It is believedthat by multiplying these gures together, that it shouldbe possible to provide a gure for the amount of honeysacriced to build storage comb and vice versa.According to Whitcombs 1946 experiment, 6.66 to 8.80pounds of honey yields 1 pound of wax.[3] Les Crowdersstudy of ve Langstroth hives, which re-use comb afterhoney extraction, and ve top bar hives, which extracthoney by crushing the comb, concluded 75%80% asmuch honey production and 600% as much beeswax pro-duction in the top bar hives, which suggest 24-30 poundsof wax per 1 pound of honey.[4][5] These studies onlymeasured honey production versus comb production; theydid not account fully for bees feeding in a closed environ-ment.Various sources specify anywhere from 20 to 400 poundsof honey stored per pound of wax. The book, BeeswaxProduction, Harvesting, Processing and Products, suggests1 pound beeswax to store 22 pounds honey.[6]

2 ProcessingWhen beekeepers extract the honey, they cut o the waxcaps from each honeycomb cell with an uncapping knifeor machine. Its color varies from nearly white to brown-ish, but most often a shade of yellow, depending on purityand the type of owers gathered by the bees. Wax fromthe brood comb of the honey bee hive tends to be darkerthan 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 left-overs are called slumgum.The wax may be claried further by heating in water. Aswith petroleumwaxes, it may be softened by dilution withmineral oil or vegetable oil to make it more workable atroom temperature.

3 Physical characteristics

Triacontanyl palmitate, a wax ester, is a major component ofbeeswax.

Beeswax is a tough wax formed from a mixture of severalcompounds.An approximate chemical formula for beeswax isC15H31COOC30H61.[7] Its main components arepalmitate, palmitoleate, and oleate esters of long-chain(3032 carbons) aliphatic alcohols, with the ratio oftriacontanyl palmitate CH3(CH2)29O-CO-(CH2)14CH3to cerotic acid[8] CH3(CH2)24COOH, the two principalcomponents, being 6:1. Beeswax can be classied gener-ally into European and Oriental types. The saponicationvalue is lower (35) for European beeswax, and higher(89) for Oriental types.Beeswax has a relatively low melting point range of 62 to64 C (144 to 147 F). If beeswax is heated above 85 C(185 F) discoloration occurs. The ash point of beeswaxis 204.4 C (400 F).[9] Density at 15 C is 958 to 970kg/m.Natural beeswax:[10] When cold it is brittle; at ordinarytemperatures it is tenacious; its fracture is dry and gran-ular. The sp. gr. at 15 [59F] is from 0.958 to 0.975,that of melted wax at 98- 99 [208.4F - 210.2F] com-pared with water at 15.5 [59.9F] is 0.822. It softenswhen held in the hand, and melts at 62- 66 [143.6F -145.4F]; it solidies at 60.5 - 63 [140.9F - 150.8F].

4 UsesBeeswax has many and varied uses. Primarily, it is usedby the bees in making their honeycombs. Apart from thisuse by bees, the use of beeswax has become widespreadand varied. Puried and bleached beeswax is used in theproduction of food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Thethree main types of beeswax products are yellow, white,and beeswax absolute. Yellow beeswax is the crudeproduct obtained from the honeycomb, white beeswax isbleached yellow beeswax, and beeswax absolute is yellowbeeswax treated with alcohol.[11] In food preparation, it

3Beeswax candles and gures

is used as a coating for cheese; by sealing out the air, pro-tection is given against spoilage (mold growth). Beeswaxmay also be used as a food additive E901, in small quan-tities acting as a glazing agent, which serves to preventwater loss, or used to provide surface protection for somefruits. Soft gelatin capsules and tablet coatings may alsouse E901. Beeswax is also a common ingredient of natu-ral chewing gum.Use of beeswax in skin care and cosmetics has been in-creasing. A German study found beeswax to be supe-rior to similar barrier creams (usually mineral oil-basedcreams such as petroleum jelly), when used according toits protocol.[12] Beeswax is used in lip balm, lip gloss,hand creams, and moisturizers; and in cosmetics such aseye shadow, blush, and eye liner. Beeswax is an importantingredient in moustache wax and hair pomades, whichmake hair look sleek and shiny.Candle-making has long involved the use of beeswax,which is highly ammable, and this material tradition-ally was prescribed for the making of the Paschal can-dle or Easter candle. It is further recommended forthe making of other candles used in the liturgy of theRoman Catholic Church.[13] Beeswax is also the candleconstituent of choice in the Orthodox Church.[14]

From a relatively small production of about 10,000 tons ayear, a number of dierent niches are served:[16] beeswaxis an ingredient in surgical bone wax, which is used dur-ing surgery to control bleeding from bone surfaces; shoepolish and furniture polish can both use beeswax as acomponent, dissolved in turpentine or sometimes blendedwith linseed oil or tung oil; modeling waxes can also usebeeswax as a component; pure beeswax can also be usedas an organic surfboard wax.[17] Beeswax blended withpine rosin, can serve as an adhesive to attach reed platesto the structure inside a squeezebox. It can also be used tomake Cutlers resin, an adhesive used to glue handles ontocutlery knives. It is used in Eastern Europe in egg decora-tion; it is used for writing, via resist dyeing, on batik eggs(as in pysanky) and for making beaded eggs. Beeswax isused by percussionists to make a surface on tambourines

for thumb rolls. It can also be used as a metal injectionmoulding binder component along with other polymericbinder materials.[18] Beeswax was formerly used in themanufacture of phonograph cylinders. It may still be usedto seal formal legal or Royal decree and academic parch-ments such as placing an awarding stamp imprimatur ofthe university upon completion of post-graduate degrees.

5 Historical uses

Beeswax candles, Alamannic graveyard (Oberacht, Germany),6th/7th c. AD

Beeswax was among the rst plastics to be used, along-side other natural polymers such as gutta-percha, horn,tortoiseshell, and shellac. For thousands of years,beeswax has had a wide variety of applications; it hasbeen found in the tombs of Egypt, in wrecked Vikingships, and in Roman ruins. Beeswax never goes bad andcan be heated and reused. Historically, it has been used:

As candles - the oldest intact beeswax candles northof the Alps were found in the Alamannic graveyardof Oberacht, Germany, dating to 6th/7th centuryAD

In the manufacture of cosmetics As a modelling material in the lost-wax casting pro-

cess, or cire perdue[19]

4 7 REFERENCES

Beeswax as Neolithic Dental Filling

For wax tablets used for a variety of writing pur-poses

In encaustic paintings such as the Fayum mummyportraits[20]

In bow making To strengthen and preserve sewing thread, cordage,

shoe laces, etc.

As a component of sealing wax To to strengthen and to forestall splitting and crack-

ing of wind instrument reeds

To form the mouthpieces of a didgeridoo, and thefrets on the Philippine kutiyapi a type of boat lute

As a sealant or lubricant for bullets in cap and ballrearms

To stabilize the military explosive Torpex beforebeing replaced by a petroleum-based product

In producing Javanese batik[21]

As an ancient form of dental tooth lling[22][23]

6 See also Carnauba wax Honeycomb Paran wax Pysanka

7 References[1] Beeswax absorption and toxicity. Large amounts of such

waxes in the diet pose theoretical toxicological problemsfor mammals.

[2] Brown, R, H. (1981) Beeswax (2nd edition) Bee BooksNew and Old, Burrowbridge, Somerset UK. ISBN 0-905652-15-0

[3] Beeswax Production, Harvesting, Processing and Products,Coggshall and Morse. Wicwas Press. 1984-06-01. p. 35.ISBN 1878075063.

[4] Les Crowder (2012-08-31). Top-Bar Beekeeping: OrganicPractices for Honeybee Health. Chelsea Green Publishing.ISBN 1603584617.

[5] Top-bar beekeeping in America.

[6] Beeswax Production, Harvesting, Processing and Products,Coggshall and Morse. Wicwas Press. 1984-06-01. p. 41.ISBN 1878075063.

[7] Umney, Nick; Shayne Rivers (2003). Conservation ofFurniture. Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 164.

[8] LIPID MAPS Databases : LIPID MAPS LipidomicsGateway. Lipidmaps.org. Retrieved 2013-07-05.

[9] MSDS for beeswax.. No reported autoignition temper-ature has been reported

[10] A Dictionary of Applied Chemistry, Vol. 5. Sir EdwardThorpe. Revised and enlarged edition. Longmans, Green,and Co., London, 1916. Waxes, Animal and vegetable.Beeswax, p. 737

[11]

[12] Peter J. Frosch, Detlef Peiler, Veit Grunert, BeateGrunenberg (July 2003). Wirksamkeit vonHautschutzprodukten im Vergleich zu Hautpege-produkten bei Zahntechnikern eine kontrollierteFeldstudie. Ecacy of barrier creams in comparisonto skin care products in dental laboratory technicians a controlled trial.. Journal der Deutschen Dermatolo-gischen Gesellschaft (in German) (Blackwell Synergy) 1(7): 547557. doi:10.1046/j.1439-0353.2003.03701.x.PMID 16295040. Retrieved 1/12/2008. CONCLU-SIONS: The results demonstrate that the use of afterwork moisturizers is highly benecial and under thechosen study conditions even superior to barrier creamsapplied at work. This approach is more practical for manyprofessions and may eectively reduce the frequencyof irritant contact dermatitis. Check date values in:|accessdate= (help)

[13] 'Altar Candles, 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

[14] , Use of Candles in the Orthodox Church

[15] Statistics from: Food And Agricultural Organization ofUnited Nations: Economic And Social Department: TheStatistical Division. UN Food and Agriculture Organi-zation Corporate Statistical Database.

5[16] Uwe Wolfmeier, Hans Schmidt, Franz-Leo Hein-richs, Georg Michalczyk, Wolfgang Payer, WolframDietsche, Klaus Boehlke, Gerd Hohner, Josef Wild-gruber Waxes in Ullmanns Encyclopedia of In-dustrial Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2002.doi:10.1002/14356007.a28_103.

[17] 'Raw Beeswax Uses, MoreNature

[18] 'Metal Injection Molding Process (MIM)", 2012 EngPe-dia

[19] LOK Congdon (1985) Water-Casting Concave-ConvexWax Models for Cire Perdue Bronze Mirrors. AmericanJournal of Archaeology, 89, 511515

[20] Egyptology online

[21] Ormeling, F. J. 1956. The Timor problem: a geographicalinterpretation of an underdeveloped island. Groningen andThe Hague: J. B. Wolters and Martinus Nijho.

[22] Oldest tooth lling may have been found Light Years CNN.com Blogs. Lightyears.blogs.cnn.com. Retrieved2013-07-05.

[23] Don't Use Your Teeth. Retrieved 2013-12-13.

8 External links The chemistry of bees Joel Loveridge, School of

Chemistry, University of Bristol [accessed Novem-ber 2005]

6 9 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

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