Beeswax is a natural substance produced by female worker honeybees from specialized glands on their abdomens. It serves as the primary building material for the honeycomb structure, which holds honey, pollen, and the bee brood. The appearance of this wax changes significantly from the moment it is secreted until it is processed for commercial use. Understanding its natural state and how refining alters it provides insight into the material’s versatile applications.
The Appearance of Beeswax in its Natural State
The wax secreted by worker bees first appears as small, thin scales that are nearly colorless and translucent. These scales are initially soft, but the bees chew and manipulate them to form the hexagonal cells of the honeycomb. New wax, particularly the fresh cappings used to seal ripe honey, is usually a pale cream or off-white color and possesses a waxy opacity.
The color of the wax deepens rapidly as it is used within the hive and accumulates biological pigments. Beeswax absorbs pigments from pollen and propolis, a sticky resinous substance, causing it to transition from pale yellow to deep golden, amber, or a rich brown. Wax from the brood comb, where young bees are raised, is particularly dark because it incorporates larval cocoons, resulting in colors that can be dark brown or greenish-gray.
Unrefined beeswax is a tough, solid material at room temperature. It has a melting point between 62 and 64 degrees Celsius, making it malleable when warm but brittle and dry with a granular fracture when cold. The crude wax often contains impurities like honey residue and fine hive debris, which contribute to its rustic, non-uniform appearance straight from the hive.
How Processing Changes Beeswax Appearance
Beekeepers typically collect the raw wax, often starting with the honey cappings, and then heat it to separate impurities. Processing involves melting the crude wax and passing it through a filter, such as a fine cloth, to remove debris, pollen, and propolis. This filtration yields yellow beeswax, which has a clearer, more uniform hue than the original crude wax.
The color of filtered yellow beeswax depends on the degree of filtration, but it is consistently yellow because the color-imparting pigments are evenly distributed. For applications requiring a neutral base, the yellow wax undergoes further refining to create white beeswax. This involves processes such as pressure-filtration or chemical treatment, which remove the remaining natural pigment and odor.
The resulting white beeswax is a creamy, uniform white color and is nearly scentless, making it ideal for use in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals where color consistency is necessary. Processing also alters the physical form of the wax for ease of use and measurement. Commercial beeswax is typically poured into standardized shapes such as large rectangular blocks, small bars, or tiny pastilles or pellets.