Beeswax

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1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Beeswax offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Beeswax at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Beeswax? Wrong! If the Beeswax is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Beeswax then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Beeswax? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Beeswax and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Beeswax wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Beeswax then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Beeswax site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Beeswax, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Beeswax, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

For the rock song by Nirvana, see Beeswax (song). Beeswax is a natural wax produced in the Beehive (beekeeping) of honey bees of the genus Apis. Beeswax is produced by young worker bees between 12 and 17 days old in the form of thin scales secreted by glands 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 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 3mm across and 0.1mm thick, and about 1100 are required to make a gram of waxR.H.Brown (1981) Beeswax (2nd edition) Bee Books New and Old, Burrowbridge, Somerset UK. ISBN 0 905652 150

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 Beehive (beekeeping) 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 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.

Physical characteristics Beeswax is a tough wax formed from a mixture of several chemical compound including:{| align="right" class="wikitable"|bgcolor=gainsboro|Wax Content Type||Percent|-|bgcolor=gainsboro|hydrocarbons]s||35%|-|bgcolor=gainsboro|esters||14%|-|bgcolor=gainsboro|esters ||3%|-|bgcolor=gainsboro|esters||4%|-|bgcolor=gainsboro|polyesters||8%|-|bgcolor=gainsboro|esters ||1%|-|bgcolor=gainsboro|polyesters ||2%|-|bgcolor=gainsboro|acids ||12%|-|bgcolor=gainsboro|alcohols ||1%|-|bgcolor=gainsboro|unidentified||6%|}

The main components of beeswax are palmitate, Palmitoleic acid, hydroxypalmitate and ester of long-chain (30-32 carbons) alcohols, with the ratio of palmitate CH3(CH2)29O-CO-(CH2)14CH3 to cerotic acid CH3(CH2)24COOH, the two principal components, being 6:1.

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.

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). Japan wax is another substitute.

Uses as a product 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 Orthodoxy 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 (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.

Historical use Beeswax was ancient man's first plastic, and was used for a variety of moulding and modelling tasks.

Lost wax casting of metals, practised by ancient Greeks and Romans, involved coating of a wax model with investment plaster, melting the wax out of the resulting mould and filling the space with molten metal. The technique is still used today even by jewellers, goldsmiths and sculptors, and even in the industrial manufacture of complex components by casting.

The Romans sent messages on hinged pairs of wooden 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. 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.

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.

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 (band).