Beeswax 43536 223883742 2008-07-06T09:34:08Z 66.231.45.9 /* Historical use */ ''For the rock song by Nirvana, see [[Beeswax (song)]]. '' [[Image:Beeswax.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Beeswax cake]] [[Image:Bienenvolk-Gemuell.jpg|thumb|200px|Fresh wax scales (in the middle of the lower row)]] '''Beeswax''' is a natural wax produced in the [[Beehive (beekeeping)|bee hive]] of [[honey bee]]s of the genus ''Apis''. Beeswax is produced by young [[worker bee]]s between 12 and 17 days old in the form of thin scales secreted by [[gland]]s on the ventral surface of the [[abdomen]]. Worker bees have eight wax-producing mirror glands on the inner sides of the [[sternites]] (the [[Anatomical terms of location|ventral shield]] or plate of each segment of the body) on abdominal segments 4 to 7. The size of these wax glands depends on the age of the worker and after daily flights begin these glands gradually atrophy. The new wax scales are initially glass-clear and colourless (see illustration), becoming opaque after mastication by the worker bee. The wax of honeycomb is nearly white, but becomes progressively more yellow or brown by incorporation of [[pollen]] oils and [[propolis]]. The wax scales are about 3 mm across and 0.1 mm thick, and about 1100 are required to make a gram of wax.<ref>R.H.Brown (1981) Beeswax (2nd edition) Bee Books New and Old, Burrowbridge, Somerset UK. ISBN 0 905652 150</ref> [[Western honey bee]]s use the beeswax to build [[honeycomb]] cells in which their young are raised and [[honey]] and [[pollen]] are stored. For the wax-making bees to secrete wax, the ambient temperature in the hive has to be 33 to 36 °C (91 to 97 °F). To produce their wax, bees must consume about eight times as much honey by mass. It is estimated that bees fly 150,000 miles to yield one pound of beeswax (530,000 km/kg). 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 and the type of flowers gathered by the bees. Wax from the [[brood comb]] of the honey bee [[Beehive (beekeeping)|hive]] tends to be darker than wax from the honeycomb. Impurities accumulate more quickly in the brood comb. Due to the impurities, the wax has to be rendered before further use. The leftovers are called [[slumgum]]. The wax may further be clarified by heating in water and may then be used for [[candle]]s or as a lubricant for drawers and windows or as a wood polish. As with petroleum waxes, it may be softened by dilution with vegetable oil to make it more workable at room temperature. ==Physical characteristics== Beeswax is a tough [[wax]] formed from a mixture of several [[chemical compound|compounds]]. {| align="right" class="wikitable sortable" |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''Wax Content Type'''||Percent |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''[[hydrocarbon]]s'''||14% |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''[[ester|monoester]]s'''||35% |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''[[ester|diester]]s'''||14% |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''[[ester|triester]]s '''||3% |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''[[ester|hydroxy monoester]]s'''||4% |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''[[polyester|hydroxy polyester]]s'''||8% |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''[[ester|acid ester]]s '''||1% |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''[[polyester|acid polyester]]s '''||2% |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''[[acid|free acid]]s '''||12% |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''[[alcohol|free alcohol]]s '''||1% |- |bgcolor=gainsboro|'''unidentified'''||6% |} The main components are [[palmitate]], [[Palmitoleic acid|palmitoleate]], [[hydroxypalmitate]][http://www.lipidlibrary.co.uk/Lipids/fa_oxy/file.pdf] and [[ester|oleate esters]] of long-chain (30-32 carbons) [[alcohol|aliphatic alcohol]]s, with the ratio of [[palmitate|triacontanylpalmitate]] CH<sub>3</sub>(CH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>29</sub>O-CO-(CH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>14</sub>CH<sub>3</sub> to [[cerotic acid]][http://www.lipidmaps.org/data/get_lm_lipids_dbgif.php?LM_ID=LMFA01010026] CH<sub>3</sub>(CH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>24</sub>COOH, the two principal components, being 6:1. Beeswax has a high [[melting point]] 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), there is no reported [[autoignition temperature]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Beeswax-9927322|title=[[MSDS]] for beeswax|accessdate=2007-10-23}}</ref> [[Density]] at 15 °C is 0.958 to 0.970 g/cm³. Bee wax can be classified generally into European and Oriental types. The ratio of [[saponification value]] is lower (3-5) for European beeswax, and higher (8-9) for Oriental types. [[Hydroxyoctacosanyl hydroxystearate]] can be used as a beeswax substitute as a consistency regulator and [[emulsion]] [[Stabilizer (chemistry)|stabilizer]]. [[Japan wax]] is another substitute. ==Uses as a product== [[Image:Kurps in Warsaw-11-Niedzwiedzcy-Pasieka.jpg|thumb|Beeswax candles and figures]] Beeswax is used commercially to make fine [[candle]]s, [[cosmetics]] and [[pharmaceuticals]] including [[bone wax]] (cosmetics and pharmaceuticals account for 60% of total consumption), in polishing materials (particularly [[shoe polish]] and [[furniture polish]]) and as a component of modelling waxes. It is commonly used during the assembly of pool tables to fill the screw holes and the seams between the slates. Accordion makers use beeswax as an adhesive, when blended with pine rosin, to attach reed plates to the structure inside an accordion. Beeswax candles are preferred in most [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]] churches because they burn cleanly, with little or no wax dripping down the sides and little visible [[smoke]]. Beeswax is also prescribed as the material (or at least a significant part of the material) for the [[Paschal candle]] ("Easter Candle") and is recommended for other candles used in the [[liturgy]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. It is also used as a coating for [[cheese]], to protect the food as it ages. While some cheese-makers have replaced it with [[plastic]], many still use beeswax in order to avoid any unpleasant flavors that may result from plastic. As a food additive, beeswax is known as [[E number|E901]] ([[glazing agent]]). The burning characteristics of beeswax candles differ from those of paraffin. A beeswax candle flame has a "warmer," more yellow color than that of paraffin, and the color of the flame may vary depending on the season in which the wax was harvested. Beeswax is also an ingredient in [[moustache wax]], as well as [[dreadlock]] wax, and was used in the manufacturing of the cylinders used by the earliest phonographs. As a skin care product 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.<ref> {{cite journal | author = Peter J. Frosch, Detlef Peiler, Veit Grunert, Beate Grunenberg | year = 2003 | month = July | title = 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 = Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft | volume = 1 | issue = 7 | pages = 547–557 | doi = 10.1046/j.1439-0353.2003.03701.x | url = http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1439-0353.2003.03701.x | language = German | accessdate = 1/12/2008 | quote = <blockquote>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.</blockquote> | publisher = Blackwell Synergy }} </ref> ==Historical use== Beeswax was ancient man's first plastic, and for thousands of years has been used as a modeling material, to create [[sculpture]] and [[jewelry]] [[molding (process)|molds]] for use in the [[lost-wax casting]] process, or ''Cire perdue''.<ref name=Condon>LOK Congdon (1985) Water-Casting Concave-Convex Wax Models for Cire Perdue Bronze Mirrors. American Journal of Archaeology, 89, 511-515</ref> [[Lost wax casting]] of [[metals]], practised by ancient Greeks and Romans, involved coating of a wax model with [[plaster]], melting the wax out of the resulting mould and filling the space with molten metal. The technique is still used today by jewellers, goldsmiths and sculptors, in [[dentistry]] and even in the industrial manufacture of complex components by [[investment casting]] of metals. The Romans sent messages on hinged pairs of wooden [[wax tablet|writing tablets]] coated with beeswax, the message being written into the smooth wax surface using a [[stylus]]. After it had been read the message could be erased, and a reply written and returned. Beeswax has been used since ancient times; traces of it were found in the paintings in the [[Lascaux]] cave and in Egyptian [[mummy|mummies]]. [[Egyptians]] used it in shipbuilding as well. In the Roman period, beeswax was used as [[waterproofing]] agent for painted walls and as a medium for the [[Fayum mummy portraits]]. Nations subjugated by Rome sometimes paid tribute or taxes in beeswax. In the [[Middle Ages]] beeswax was considered valuable enough to become a form of [[currency]]. It was also used in [[Bowyer|bow making]] (see [[English longbow]]). More recently it found use as a component of [[sealing wax]], and in [[cosmetics]]. Beeswax is also the traditional material from which to make [[didgeridoo]] mouthpieces and the frets on the [[Philippine]] [[kutiyapi]], a type of boat [[lute]]. Beeswax has been used for hundreds of years as a sealant or [[lubricant]] for [[bullet]]s in cap and ball and [[firearms]] that use [[gunpowder|black powder]]. It is often mixed with other ingredients such as [[olive oil]] (sweet oil) and sometimes [[paraffin]]. It can be used as an ingredient in the bullet lube used primarily in Black Powder cartridge firing weapons. The wax can be dissolved in Turpentine and then used as a furniture finish, sometimes blended with [[Linseed oil|Linseed]] or [[Tung Oil]]. ==Trivia== *The saying "Tis none of your beeswax" meaning "none of your business" became popular in the 1920s after being spoken by Nanette in the 1925 [[musical theatre|musical comedy]] [[No, No, Nanette]]. Another saying is "Mind your own beeswax".{{Fact|date=April 2008}} *Beeswax is the title of a song by the band [[Nirvana (band)| Nirvana]]. ==References== {{reflist}} ==See also== *[[Apis mellifera]] *[[Ester]] *[[Encaustic painting]] *[[Paraffin]] *[[Carnauba wax]] *[[Bone wax]] {{BeeColonyMemberTypes}} *[http://www.apitherapynews.com/ Apitherapy News] ==References== <references/> *[http://www.chemsoc.org/exemplarchem/entries/2001/loveridge/index-page4.html The chemistry of bees] Joel Loveridge, School of Chemistry [[University of Bristol]] accessed Nov 2005 {{E number infobox 900-909}} {{sewing}} [[Category:Bee products]] [[Category:Waxes]] [[Category:Biodegradable materials]] [[Category:Entomology]] [[Category:Sewing equipment]] [[Category:Beekeeping]] [[bn:মোম]] [[cs:Včelí vosk]] [[da:Bivoks]] [[de:Bienenwachs]] [[es:Cera estampada]] [[eo:Abelvakso]] [[fr:Cire d'abeille]] [[gl:Cera estampada]] [[hr:Pčelinji vosak]] [[it:Cera d'api]] [[hu:Méhviasz]] [[he:דונג]] [[nl:Bijenwas]] [[ja:ミツロウ]] [[no:Bivoks]] [[pl:Wosk pszczeli]] [[sl:Čebelji vosek]] [[sr:Пчелињи восак]] [[fi:Mehiläisvaha]] [[sv:Bivax]] [[th:ขี้ผึ้ง]] [[tr:Balmumu]] [[zh:蜂蜡]]