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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
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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
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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]
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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.
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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]
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6 9 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES
9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses9.1 Text
Beeswax Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeswax?oldid=665616813 Contributors:
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9.2 Images File:Beeswax.jpg Source:
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License: CC BY 2.5 Contributors: Own
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File:Beeswax_as_Dental_Filling_on_a_Neolithic_Human_Tooth_-_Journal.pone.0044904.g001.png
Source: https:
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License: CC BY 2.5 Contributors: Bernardini F, Tuniz C, Coppa A,
Mancini L, Dreossi D, et al. (2012) Beeswax asDental Filling on a
Neolithic Human Tooth. PLoS ONE 7(9): e44904.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044904 Original artist: Bernardini
F,Tuniz C, Coppa A, Mancini L, Dreossi D, et al. (2012)
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