Honey gets most of the attention, but a hive couldn't exist without beeswax. It is the building material of the colony: the nursery, the pantry and the structure all in one. And bees make it from scratch.
How bees make wax
Worker honeybees have four pairs of special wax glands on the underside of their abdomens. These glands are most active when a worker is roughly two to three weeks old, the stage of life when she usually works inside the hive.
To make wax, bees eat honey. Their bodies convert the sugars into wax, which they secrete as small, clear flakes. A worker pulls a flake off with her legs, chews it to soften it, and adds it to the comb. Freshly made comb is white; it darkens over time as it is used to raise brood and gets stained with pollen and propolis.
Making wax takes a lot of energy. Beekeepers often say bees consume around six to eight pounds of honey to produce a single pound of wax, though estimates vary. That's one reason many beekeepers reuse drawn comb from season to season.
Why hexagons?
Honeycomb cells are famously six-sided. Mathematicians have long admired the design: hexagons tile together with no gaps and use the least amount of wall material to enclose a given area. In 1999, mathematician Thomas Hales formally proved this "honeycomb conjecture." For bees, it means maximum storage for minimum wax.
Researchers have found that bees may start with roughly circular cells, and the warm, soft wax settles into hexagons as cells press together, with bees shaping and refining the walls as they build.
What the comb is used for
- Storing honey. Once honey is ripe, bees cap the cells with a thin layer of fresh wax.
- Storing pollen. Bees pack pollen into cells as "bee bread," the colony's protein supply.
- Raising young. The queen lays eggs in cells, and larvae develop inside.
Beeswax facts
- Beeswax melts at roughly 62–64°C (about 144–147°F).
- It is made largely of esters of fatty acids and long-chain alcohols.
- It is approved as a food additive and glazing agent, labeled E901 in Europe.
- It has a naturally sweet, honey-like scent.
How people use beeswax
Humans have used beeswax for thousands of years. Today it shows up in:
- Candles, which burn slowly with a warm glow.
- Lip balms, lotions and cosmetics, where it acts as a thickener and helps lock in moisture.
- Reusable food wraps, cotton coated with wax as an alternative to plastic wrap.
- Cheese coatings and as a glazing agent on some candy.
- Wood polish and furniture finishes.
- Lost-wax casting for jewelry and metal art, a technique with ancient roots.
Can you eat beeswax?
Yes. When you eat honeycomb, you eat the wax along with the honey. It isn't digested much, but it is safe for most people in normal amounts and adds a pleasant chewy texture.
From the hive to HYVE
Beeswax is a reminder of how much work goes into every drop of honey. At HYVE, we start with 100% raw, USDA Organic rainforest honey and test every barrel for pesticide residue, because what goes into the hive ends up in the jar.
HYVE Mind Focus & Memory adds 222mg of organic lion's mane extract (20:1, 100% fruiting body), 80mg of L-theanine, organic raw cacao, organic bee pollen and organic vanilla. Each 14g packet is 45 calories, caffeine-free, and tastes like vanilla-chocolate.
Try it with WELCOME20 for 20% off your first order.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Not for infants under 12 months or anyone with bee or bee-product allergies.
