Beeswax is a product of honeybees that produce this for the production of their honeycombs. In the honeycombs, the bees hatch their offspring. The beekeepers remove excess wax and make various products, such as the well-known beeswax candles. But industry also uses bees‘ wax to make some products.

Wax from bee pollen

The bees themselves produce the wax of their honeycombs by spitting out tiny platelets after they have picked up flower pollen. From these platelets, the wax is formed, from which the famous honeycombs that make up a beehive are formed. Subsequently, the bees hatch offspring in the honeycomb, whereby the yellowish wax turns brown by feeding the brood. However, the beekeeper removes these old honeycomb at regular intervals for hygienic reasons and can from this the valuable beeswax produce. The beekeeper melts the honeycombs with the help of heat and water vapor and separates out the contaminants. For this he uses devices such as the Sonnenwachsschmelzer or Dampfwasserschmelzer. Already from 62 degrees melts beeswax together again. The pure obtained from this beeswax Most of the bees get back, so new honeycombs can be built. Most beekeepers, however, keep some of the wax they use to work with it. The product has its bright yellowish color and is free from harmful substances. For a kilo beeswax by the way, bees need about six kilograms of honey.

The famous beeswax candle

A product that probably every beekeeper has ever made is the candle off beeswax , This traditional candle is easy to make and smells wonderful. The beekeeper uses the recovered beeswax in its liquid form to turn a wick. Then the candle hardens and is ready. Many beekeepers, however, decorate the wax candles with beautiful shapes. Beeswax is soft and can be decorated perfectly. There are no limits for your creativity. The candles should be stored cool and in a dry room. Ideally, the room is dark so that the candle can not discolor. At this point it should be noted that candles made of beeswax get a whitish coating after a certain period of storage. This surface is not a quality defect and can simply be wiped off. Both burning time and the wonderful smell are not adversely affected by this.

Beeswax in the industry

The wax of bees is also used in industry and industry. To all nostalgics, however, it should be said that beeswax has today been largely replaced by an industrial synthetic wax. This makes sense, considering that for a kilo of wax the bees spend their entire annual yield on honey. In the industry, beeswax or its artificial counterpart is used in the pharmaceutical industry, where ointments, lipsticks or creams are produced. Also in physiotherapy, the real beeswax is used, as it is ideal for warm packs for cough or joint pain. Products that do not require artificial wax contain the addition „contains real beeswax“, giving the consumer a good overview. In addition to the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, the food industry is a third area where beeswax is used. The product is used in the production of candy containing gelatine.