For application to specific circumstances, professional advice should be sought. The Department of Primary Industries Queensland has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the information in this publication is accurate at the time of publication. Readers should ensure that they make appropriate inquiries to determine whether new information is available on the particular subject matter. Introduction Beeswax is a product of the bee hive which is secreted by worker bees 12 to 18 days old, from wax glands beneath segments six to nine of the abdomen.
Bees use it for building new comb and capping off ripened honey.
Humans use it in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, candles, polish, waterproofing and to make foundation comb for beehives. As a general guide, for each 60 kg of honey extracted from the hive about 1 kg of beeswax is produced. The composition of beeswax is complex, but contains hydrocarbons, straight chain monohydric alcohols, acids, hydroxy acids, oils and other substances. Its specific gravity is less than one, so it floats on water. It melts at 63 C to 65 C and solidifies at 60 C to 63 C, depending on purity.