Beeswax, a natural substance produced by honey bees, forms the structural foundation of their intricate hives. This material is central to the survival and organization of a bee colony.
The Bee’s Wax Glands and Secretion
Beeswax production begins within specialized glands located on the underside of worker bees’ abdomens. These glands, known as wax mirrors, are found on abdominal segments four through seven. Each worker bee possesses four pairs of these glands. Young worker bees, typically between 12 and 18 days old, are the primary wax producers, as their glands are most developed and active during this period.
The process of creating wax involves the metabolic conversion of sugars from honey. Bees consume honey, which fuels the wax glands to secrete a liquid substance. This liquid wax emerges through tiny pores on the wax mirrors, solidifying into small, clear, colorless flakes upon contact with air. For efficient wax secretion, the hive’s internal temperature must be maintained at 33 to 36 degrees Celsius (91 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit). Bees often engorge themselves with honey and cluster together, forming “festoons,” to generate the necessary warmth for this process.
Building the Hive: From Flake to Comb
Once wax flakes are secreted, bees begin hive construction. A worker bee uses stiff hairs on its hind legs to scrape the wax flakes from its abdomen, then passes them forward to its middle legs and finally to its mandibles. The bee chews and manipulates the wax, mixing it with salivary secretions and enzymes. This process softens the wax, making it pliable and clay-like, suitable for building.
Bees then sculpt these softened wax particles into hexagonal cells that form the honeycomb. The hexagonal shape is efficient, allowing bees to maximize storage space while minimizing the amount of wax needed. While cells may initially be more circular, the collective effort of many bees, combined with hive warmth, causes the walls to flatten and form the precise hexagonal structure. This collaborative effort results in a robust and functional structure for the colony.
The Many Uses of Beeswax in the Colony
Beeswax serves multiple functions within the bee colony beyond structural support. The hexagonal comb provides organized compartments for storing resources. Bees use these cells to store honey, their primary food source, which sustains them during periods when foraging is not possible. Pollen, a food source providing protein, is also stored within the comb, often in colorful cells.
The beeswax comb acts as a nursery for developing bees. The queen lays her eggs directly into these cells, and the larvae and pupae grow and mature within them. This infrastructure provides a protected environment for the next generation of bees. The comb also facilitates communication within the colony, with bees performing waggle dances on its surface to convey information about food sources. Beeswax is central to the hive’s organization, resource management, and the rearing of new bees.