Beeswax

foundation, made by pressing beeswax between patterned metal rollers]] {{BEESWAX}} (cera alba) is a natural {{w|wax}} produced by {{w|honey bee|honey bees}} of the genus Apis. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of {{w|worker bee|worker bees}}, which 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 {{w|beehive}}. Chemically, beeswax consists mainly of {{w|ester|esters}} of {{w|fatty acids}} and various {{w|fatty alcohol|long-chain alcohols}}.

Beeswax has been used since prehistory as the first plastic, as a lubricant and waterproofing agent, in {{w|lost wax casting}} of metals and glass, as a {{w|wood finishing|polish}} for wood and leather, for making {{candle}}s, as an ingredient in cosmetics and as an artistic medium in {{w|encaustic painting}}.

Beeswax is edible, having similarly negligible {{w|toxicity}} to plant waxes, and is approved for food use in most countries and in the {{w|European Union}} under the {{w|E number}} E901.

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

The new wax is initially glass-clear and colorless, becoming after  and being contaminated with pollen by the hive worker bees, becoming progressively yellower or browner by incorporation of  oils and. The wax scales are about 3 mm across and 0.1 mm thick, and about 1100 are needed to make a gram of wax. Worker bees use the beeswax to build cells. For the wax-making bees to secrete wax, the ambient temperature in the hive must be 33 to 36 C.

The book Beeswax Production, Harvesting, Processing and Products suggests 1 kg of beeswax is sufficient to store 22 kg of honey. Another study estimated that 1 kg of wax can store 24 to 30 kg of honey.

Sugars from honey are metabolized in wax-gland-associated fat cells into beeswax. The amount of used by bees to produce wax has not been accurately determined, but according to Whitcomb's 1946 experiment, 6.66 to 8.80 kg of honey yields 1 kg of wax.

Processing
When beekeepers extract the honey, they cut off the wax caps from each honeycomb cell with an uncapping knife or machine.

Beeswax may arise from such cappings, or from an old comb that is scrapped, or from the beekeeper removing unwanted and  and such. Its color varies from nearly white to brownish, but most often is a shade of yellow, depending on purity, the region, and the type of flowers gathered by the bees. The wax from the of the honey bee hive tends to be darker than wax from the honeycomb because impurities accumulate more quickly in the brood comb. Due to the impurities, the wax must be rendered before further use. The leftovers are called, and is derived from old breeding rubbish (pupa casings, cocoons, shed larva skins, etc), bee droppings, propolis, and general rubbish.

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.

Bees reworking old wax
When bees, needing food, uncap honey, they drop the removed cappings and let them fall to the bottom of the hive. It is known for bees to rework such an accumulation of fallen old cappings into strange formations.

Physical characteristics
Beeswax is a fragrant solid at room temperature. The colors are light yellow, medium yellow, or dark brown and white. Beeswax is a tough formed from a mixture of several.

Beeswax has a relatively low range of 62 to 64 °C (144 to 147 °F). If beeswax is heated above 85 °C (185 °F) discoloration occurs. The flash point of beeswax is 204.4 °C (400 °F).

When natural beeswax is cold, it is brittle, and its fracture is dry and granular. At (conventionally taken as about 20 °C (68 °F)), it is tenacious and it softens further at human  (37 °C (99 °F)). The of beeswax at 15 C is from 0.958 to 0.975; that of melted beeswax at 98 to 99 C (compared with water at 15.5 C) is 0.9822.

Chemical composition
An approximate for beeswax is C15H31COOC30H61. Its main constituents are, , and  of long-chain (30–32 carbons)  , with the ratio of  CH3(CH2)29O-CO-(CH2)14CH3 to  CH3(CH2)24COOH, the two principal constituents, being 6:1. Beeswax can be classified generally into European and Oriental types. The is lower (3–5) for European beeswax, and higher (8–9) for Oriental types.The analytical characterization can be done by high-temperature.

Uses


Candle-making has long involved the use of beeswax, which burns readily and cleanly, and this material was traditionally prescribed for the making of the or "Easter candle". Beeswax candles are purported to be superior to other wax candles, because they burn brighter and longer, do not bend, and burn cleaner. It is further recommended for the making of other candles used in the of the. Beeswax is also the candle constituent of choice in the.

Refined beeswax plays a prominent role in art materials both as a binder in and as a stabilizer in  to add body.

Beeswax is an ingredient in surgical, which is used during surgery to control bleeding from bone surfaces; and  can both use beeswax as a component, dissolved in turpentine or sometimes blended with  or ; modeling waxes can also use beeswax as a component; pure beeswax can also be used as an organic. Beeswax blended with pine is used for, and can serve as an adhesive to attach reed plates to the structure inside a. It can also be used to make, an adhesive used to glue handles onto cutlery knives. It is used in Eastern Europe in egg decoration; it is used for writing, via, on eggs (as in ) and for making beaded eggs. Beeswax is used by to make a surface on  for thumb rolls. It can also be used as a metal injection moulding binder component along with other polymeric binder materials.

Beeswax was formerly used in the manufacture of phonograph cylinders. It may still be used to seal formal legal or and academic parchments such as placing an awarding stamp  of the university upon completion of postgraduate degrees.

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 or filtered yellow beeswax, and beeswax is yellow beeswax treated with alcohol. In food preparation, it is used as a coating for ; by sealing out the air, protection is given against spoilage (mold growth). Beeswax may also be used as a food additive, in small quantities acting as a , 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. The wax monoesters in beeswax are poorly hydrolysed in the guts of humans and other, so they have insignificant nutritional value. Some birds, such as, can digest beeswax. Beeswax is the main diet of larvae.

The 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 ), when used according to its protocol. Beeswax is used in, , , salves, and moisturizers; and in cosmetics such as , blush, and. Beeswax is also an important ingredient in and, which make hair look sleek and shiny.

In oil spill control, beeswax is processed to create (PRP). It is used to absorb oil or petroleum-based pollutants from water.

Historical uses
Beeswax was among the first plastics to be used, alongside other natural polymers such as, , , and. 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 graveyard of, dating to 6th/7th century AD
 * In the manufacture of cosmetics
 * As a modelling material in the process, or cire perdue
 * For used for a variety of writing purposes
 * In such as the
 * In
 * To strengthen and preserve thread, cordage, shoe laces, etc.
 * As a component of
 * To strengthen and to forestall splitting and cracking of wind instrument reeds
 * To form the mouthpieces of a, and the frets on the  – a type of boat
 * As a sealant or for  in cap and ball
 * To stabilize the military explosive – before being replaced by a petroleum-based product
 * In producing Javanese 
 * As an ancient form of dental tooth filling
 * As the joint filler in the slate bed of pool and billiard tables.

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