Bee Wax
Beeswax (cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of female worker bees. The hive workers collect and use it to form cells for honey storage and larval and pupal protection within the beehive.
The new wax is initially glass-clear and colorless, becoming opaque with the mixing of pollen oils until it become white, yellow/golden and finally brown.
Beeswax has been used in a huge variety of applications, including but not limited to:
- Treating burns, itching, diaper rash, hemorrhoids, mouth ulcers, and fungal infections.
- In foods and beverages, white beeswax and beeswax absolute (yellow beeswax treated with alcohol), are used as stiffening agents.
- In manufacturing, yellow and white beeswax are used as thickeners, emulsifiers, and as stiffening agents in cosmetics. Beeswax absolute is used as a fragrance in soaps and perfumes. White beeswax and beeswax absolute are also used to polish pills.
- As medicine, beeswax is taken by mouth for lowering cholesterol and for relieving pain. It is also used for swelling (inflammation), ulcers, diarrhea, and hiccups.
- In foods and beverages, white beeswax and beeswax absolute (yellow beeswax treated with alcohol), are used as stiffening agents.
- In crafts, beeswax is used in candles, polishes, music instruments, tool treatments, smithing, modeling, casting, textiles, and more.
