We’re all familiar with beeswax and its relation to honey. But how many of us can actually say we know where it comes from? Or how it’s created? Beeswax is a very important natural product because of its many uses and benefits. It’s also essentially the foundation of the beehive. Honeybees create it with a very unique, natural process. Without the beeswax, there would be no hive, and that would mean no honey. Learn all the details here as we look at where beeswax comes from and how bees make it.
What Is Beeswax?
To begin, it’s important to note that beeswax does come straight from honeybees. The wax is a secretion produced by what are known as worker bees. It’s mostly made of fatty acids; however, there are actually over 200 minor components that also make it up. After its secretion, beeswax turns from a light yellow to a deep golden yellow. It then solidifies into a stable substance.
How Is It Made?
The production of honey is entirely affected by where beeswax come from and how bees make it. After all, this is what makes up the honeycomb chambers in which the honey is stored. As we mentioned above, young worker bees make the beeswax for their colonies. When the bees secrete the wax, it comes out in a liquid form, which quickly hardens from the air into thin scales. It takes roughly 1,000 wax scales to make up a gram of beeswax for the comb.
Its Function and Uses
Honeybees have their specific uses for it, but there are also many uses for humans. Beekeepers harvest the beeswax just has they do the honey for commercial uses. Many products, such as lotions, lip balms, and candles, can be made from it. Like honey, raw beeswax has many healthy properties that make it useful for skin care and beneficial for eating in its natural honeycomb form. Crystal’s Honey offers beeswax, honeycomb, and more! Reach out to us, or browse our selection today.