For the rock song by Nirvana, see Beeswax (song). The Nirvana Song Beeswax was first released on the compilation album Kill Rock Stars released in 1991. ...

Beeswax cake

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

Beeswax is a product from a bee hive, specifically the hive of any species of honey bee (the genus Apis). Beeswax is secreted by young honey bees of a certain age in the form of thin scales. The scales are produced by glands of 12 to 17 days old worker bees on the ventral (stomach) surface of the abdomen. Worker bees have eight wax-producing glands on the inner sides of the sternites (the ventral shield or plate of each segment of the body). Wax is produced from abdominal segments 4 to 7. The size of these wax glands depends on the age of the worker. After daily flights begin, these glands gradually atrophy. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 634 KB) Beschreibung en: Description: beeswax de: Beschreibung: Bienenwachs Source: picture taken by Frank Mikley on 2005-09-04 License: GNU FDL Location: Backnang (Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany) Camera: Olympus C-3020 ZOOM (digital) Licensing File links The following pages on... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 634 KB) Beschreibung en: Description: beeswax de: Beschreibung: Bienenwachs Source: picture taken by Frank Mikley on 2005-09-04 License: GNU FDL Location: Backnang (Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany) Camera: Olympus C-3020 ZOOM (digital) Licensing File links The following pages on... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3504x2336, 860 KB) Gemüll nennt man alles, was auf den Boden eines Bienenvolkes fällt. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3504x2336, 860 KB) Gemüll nennt man alles, was auf den Boden eines Bienenvolkes fällt. ... Domesticated Western honey bees are kept in beehives. ... The honeybee is a colonial insect that is often maintained, fed, and transported by farmers. ... Human submaxillary gland. ... A worker bee is a female honeybee which performs certain tasks in support of a bee hive. ... The abdomen is a part of the body. ... The sternum (pl. ... In sciences dealing with the anatomy of animals, precise anatomical terms of location are necessary for a variety of reasons. ... candle wax This page is about the substance. ...

Western honey bees 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. Estimates are 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 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. Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 The Western honey bee or European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a species of honey bee. ... Honeycomb Honeycombs on a Sacred fig tree A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal wax cells built by honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen. ... A jar of honey, shown with a wooden honey server and scones/biscuits. ... SEM image of pollen grains from a variety of common plants: sunflower (Helianthus annuus), morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea), prairie hollyhock (Sidalcea malviflora), oriental lily (Lilium auratum), evening primrose (Oenothera fruticosa), and castor bean (Ricinus communis). ... Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of one or more hives of honeybees. ... The term describes the comb that is used by the queen bee to lay eggs. ... Domesticated Western honey bees are kept in beehives. ... Slumgum is a term used in beekeeping. ...

The wax may further be clarified by heating in water and may then be used for candles 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, whence it may be used to create sculpture and jewelry molds for use in the lost-wax casting process. For other uses, see Candle (disambiguation). ... A sculpture is a three-dimensional object, which for the purposes of this article is man-made and selected for special recognition as art. ... Jewelry (the American spelling; spelled jewellery in Commonwealth English) consists of ornamental devices worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. ... Casting is a process by which a material is introduced into a mold while it is liquid, allowed to solidify in the shape inside the mold, and then removed producing a fabricated object, part, or casing. ...

Physical characteristics

Beeswax is a tough wax formed from a mixture of several compounds including: candle wax This page is about the substance. ... A chemical compound is a chemical substance of two or more different chemically bonded chemical elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. ...

The main components of beeswax are palmitate, palmitoleate, hydroxypalmitate[1] and oleate esters of long-chain (30-32 carbons) aliphatic alcohols, with the ratio of triacontanylpalmitate CH₃(CH₂)₂₉O-CO-(CH₂)₁₄CH₃ to cerotic acid[2] CH₃(CH₂)₂₄COOH, the two principal components, being 6:1. Oil refineries are key to obtaining hydrocarbons; crude oil is processed through several stages to form desirable hydrocarbons, used in fuel and other commercial products. ... A carboxylic acid ester. ... A carboxylic acid ester. ... A carboxylic acid ester. ... A carboxylic acid ester. ... SEM picture of a bend in a high surface area polyester fiber with a seven-lobed cross section Polyester is a category of polymers, or, more specifically condensation polymers, which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. ... A carboxylic acid ester. ... SEM picture of a bend in a high surface area polyester fiber with a seven-lobed cross section Polyester is a category of polymers, or, more specifically condensation polymers, which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. ... Acidity redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Palmitic acid. ... Palmitoleic acid, or (Z)-9-hexadecenoic acid, is a monounsaturated fatty acid that is a common constituent of the glycerides of human adipose tissue. ... A carboxylic acid ester. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Palmitic acid. ...

Beeswax has a high melting point range, of 62 to 64 °C (144 to 147 °F). It does not boil in air, but continues to heat until it bursts into flame at around 120 °C (250 °F). If beeswax is heated above 85 °C (185 °F) discoloration occurs. Density at 15 °C is 0.958 to 0.970 g/cm³. The melting point of a crystalline solid is the temperature at which it changes state from solid to liquid. ... In physics, density is mass m per unit volume V. For the common case of a homogeneous substance, it is expressed as: where, in SI units: ρ (rho) is the density of the substance, measured in kg·m-3 m is the mass of the substance, measured in kg V is...

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. Saponification value (or saponification number, also referred to as sap in short) represents the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1g of fat under the conditions specified. ...

Hydroxyoctacosanyl hydroxystearate can be used as a beeswax substitute as a consistency regulator and emulsion stabilizer. Japan wax is another substitute. A. Two immisicible liquids, not emulsified; B. An emulsion of Phase B dispersed in Phase A; C. The unstable emulsion progressively separates; D. The surfactant (purple outline) positions itself on the interfaces between Phase A and Phase B, stabilizing the emulsion An emulsion is a mixture of two immiscible (unblendable... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Japan wax is a pale-yellow, waxy, water-insoluble solid with a gummy feel, obtained from the berries of certain sumacs native to Japan and China, such as Rhus verniciflua (Japanese sumac tree) and Rhus succedanea (Japanese wax tree). ...

Uses as a product

Beeswax candles and figures

Beeswax is used commercially to make fine candles, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals including bone wax (cosmetics and pharmaceuticals account for 60% of total consumption), in polishing materials (particularly shoe polish), as a component of modelling waxes, and in a variety of other products. 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 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. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2576x1932, 1237 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Beeswax Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2576x1932, 1237 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Beeswax Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... For other uses, see Candle (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Cosmetic. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon is drug, and logos is science) is the study of how chemical substances interfere with living systems. ... Bone wax is made of beeswax containing a softening agent such as paraffin. ... An open can of Kiwi shoe polish with a side-mounted opening mechanism visible at the top of the photo. ... ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Paschal Candle. ... A liturgy is the customary public worship of a religious group, according to their particular traditions. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic...

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 E901 (glazing agent). Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other mammals. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... For the mathematical constant see: E (mathematical constant). ... Glazing agents, or polishing agents, are food additives providing shiny appeareance or protective coating to foods. ...

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. Moustache wax is a pomade applied to a moustache as a grooming aid to hold the hairs in place. ... Dreadlocks are ropy mats of hair that have been allowed to grow out over time. ...

Historical use

Beeswax has been used since ancient times; traces of it were found in the paintings in the Lascaux cave and in Egyptian 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. Painting of bison attacking a man, from the cave at Lascaux, c. ... A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or airlessness. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Portrait of a young woman, A.D. 110–20 Encaustic on wood; 43. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...

More recently it found use as a modeling material, 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. Letters sealed with sealing wax in a painting by Cornelis Norbertus Gysbrechts (1665). ... A didgeridoo. ... We dont have an article called Kutiyapi Start this article Search for Kutiyapi in. ... A medieval era lute. ...

Trivia

• In the saying "It's none of your business!" people sometimes replace the word "business" with "beeswax."
• Beeswax is the title of a song by the popular band Nirvana.
• i love to eat beeswax!

Nirvana was an American rock band that formed in Aberdeen, Washington. ...

See also

• Ester
• Encaustic painting
• Paraffin
• Carnauba wax
• Bone wax

The honeybee is a colonial insect that is often maintained, fed, and transported by farmers. ... The queen bee is an adult, mated female in a honeybee colony or hive; she is usually the mother of all the bees in the hive. ... A worker bee is a female honeybee which performs certain tasks in support of a bee hive. ... A laying worker bee is a worker bee that lays unfertilized eggs usually in the absence of a queen bee. ... Blue-Russian drone honeybees drinking. ... Domesticated Western honey bees are kept in beehives. ... The honey bee life cycle, here referring exclusively to the domesticated Western honey bee, depends greatly on their social structure. ... Recently hatched honey bee larvae are feeding on royal jelly for three days. ... Honey bees learn and communicate in order to find food sources and for other means. ... A swarm about to land Swarming is the natural means of reproduction of honey bee colonies (considering the colony as the organism rather than individual bees which cannot survive alone), including the domesticated Western honey bee. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 The Western honey bee or European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a species of honey bee. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Trinomial name Apis mellifera carnica Pollman, 1879 The Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) is a subspecies of Western honey bee. ... Trinomial name Apis mellifera mellifera Linaneus, 1758 The European dark bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) was domesticated in modern times, and taken to North America in colonial times. ... Apis mellifera ligustica is the Italian bee which is a sub-species of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera). ... Species HYBRID (see text) Africanized honey bees (AHB), (known colloquially as killer bees) are hybrids of the African honey bee, Apis mellifera scutellata (not ; see Collet , 2006), with various European honey bees such as the Italian bee A. m. ... Subspecies A. m. ... Beekeeping, tacuinum sanitatis casanatensis (XIV century) Beekeeping (or apiculture, from Latin apis, a bee) is the practice of intentional maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. ... A jar of honey, shown with a wooden honey server and scones/biscuits. ... An Apiary in South Carolina, Langstroth hives on pallets An apiary (also known in the US as a bee yard) is a place where beehives of honeybees are kept. ... Domesticated Western honey bees are kept in beehives. ... Langstroth hives on pallets The Langstroth bee hive is the standard beehive used in many parts of the world for bee keeping. ... Top-bar hives are a style of beehive used for beekeeping. ... Apiology is the scientific study of bees, a branch of entomology. ... This is a list of topics concerning beekeeping and honey bees. ... Races of honey bees Some biologists use race synonymously with subspecies or - in botany- variety, to refer to divisions within a species. ... Common diseases, parasites, pests, and ailments of the honey bee include: // Varroa mite on a honey bee larva Main articles: Varroa destructor Varroa destructor and Varroa jacobsoni are parasitic mites that feed off the bodily fluids of adult, pupal and larval bees. ...

References

• The chemistry of bees Joel Loveridge, School of Chemistry University of Bristol accessed Nov 2005