Knowra Beeswax Beeswax Beeswax is a natural wax secreted by worker honey bees and used to construct honeycomb cells. It is also harvested for candles, cosmetics, polishes, and other products.
Wax gland : A specialized gland that secretes wax or wax precursors in animals and plants. Worker honey bees secrete beeswax from glands on the underside of their abdomens.
Wax : A class of water-repellent organic materials that are generally solid at room temperature and soften when heated. Beeswax is one animal-produced member of this broad material class.
Beeswax candle : A candle made primarily from beeswax, a combustible wax with a relatively high melting point. Beeswax has been molded into candles for light and ceremonial use.
Apiculture : The management of bee colonies to obtain honey, wax, pollination, or other products. Beekeeping makes beeswax available as a harvested colony product.
Beekeeping : The practice of maintaining bee colonies, typically in managed hives. Beekeeping supplies most commercially collected beeswax and influences how much comb is harvested.
Honey bee : A social bee in the genus Apis that lives in colonies and produces honey. Honey bees manufacture beeswax as a colony building material.
Ester : An organic compound formed when an acid reacts with an alcohol, often releasing water. Beeswax contains many long-chain esters that contribute to its solid, water-repellent character.
Cosmetics : Products applied to the body for cleansing, protection, fragrance, or appearance. Beeswax thickens and stabilizes products such as lip balms and creams.
Ancient Egyptian mummification : The preservation of human and animal bodies in ancient Egypt through drying, wrapping, and other treatments. Beeswax was used in some ancient Egyptian funerary practices and objects.
Honey bee colony : A social unit of honey bees containing a queen, workers, and, seasonally, drones. Wax production draws on worker labor and colony resources.
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