March 8, 1906 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



211 



4- (£ontrtbutcb * 

 Special Clrticles 



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Beeswax— Its Origin, Composition, Etc. 



BY ADRIAN CETAZ. 



FOR a long time it was thought that the bees were 

 gathering the wax on the plants; in fact, the pollen 



was taken to be the crude wax thus gathered. Later 

 on it was discovered that the wax is produced by the bees 

 in a way similar to that by which a cow produces milk. 

 It comes out of their bodies under the rings of the abdo- 

 men at eight different places, four on each side. It is then 

 of a pearly white color, and in the shape of flat pellets. 

 These pellets are taken up and put together in building 

 the combs. 



When new the comb is nearly white, but to me it 

 seems to be not quite as white as the pellets of wax with 

 which it has been made. It seems to me more yellow. 

 Evidently some of the bees' saliva and other mouth excre- 

 tions must get more or less mixed with the wax, and per- 

 haps contribute toward giving it the yellow tinge. The 

 mixture of saliva may also explain why the moth-worms 

 can live and grow on wax alone, or rather the combs. It 

 is impossible for any animal — insect or worm — to grow 

 without what is termed "nitrogenous substances." Now 

 the wax is not a nitrogenous substance, but the saliva of 

 the bees, or the product of some of the mouth-glands, is. 

 So, if any is mixed with the wax forming the combs, there 

 would be some nitrogenous matter for the use and growth 

 of Mr. Moth-worm. 



It has been frequently noted that a sheet of comb 

 foundation is tough and leathery compared with the nat- 

 ural comb built by the bees. _This is chiefly due to the 

 compactness of the foundation, caused by the pressure of 

 the rolls, or. worse yet, the Weed machines. The lightness 

 of the natural comb may possibly be due partly to a mix- 

 ture of the saliva. In analyzing the wax, the comb is 

 always melted, and the bees' saliva, if there is any, goes off 

 in the water. It would be well to investigate again in 

 some way to retain and study the saliva, or whatever mix- 

 ture, if any, may be with the wax. 



Color of Wax. 



The color of the wax has not been fully investigated. 

 The pellets of wax fresh from the abdomen are certainly 

 white, or very nearly white. The freshly built comb is 

 certainly a little more yellow, or at least it seems so to me. 

 Later on it becomes dark yellow, then brown, and finally 

 so dark as to be practically black. What are the causes 

 of this darkening? 



One is unquestionably the rearing of brood. Every 

 bee-keeper has seen new combs that were yet very light 

 in color except where some brood had been reared. There 

 the comb had already assumed a pretty dark-brown color, 

 due to the excrement left by the hatching brood. 



But even where no brood has been reared, the comb 

 will eventually assume that dark-brown color, but of 

 much more slowly. I am at a loss to account for it. Xone 

 of the text-books and papers that I have examined u;ive 

 any clue to it except, of course, what concerns the brood. 



Every one knows that the common flies, when running 

 over the glass of the windows or pictures, leave mail, 

 round, dark specks. What every one does not know is 

 that these specks are made by their feet. Thes 

 vided with a kind of sponge that secretes a so 

 That glue enables them to stick to any surface on 

 they walk, even on the ceiling of a room. If the It j 



will turn to his text-1 ks, he will find that the . • of 



the bees are provided with the same kind of an 



And I suppose that the sticky substance that enabh eta 



In walk anywhere is mi the causes of the >' IQg 



of the combs. Xot only the combs, but the exposed wood 

 on which they walk, walls of hive, frames, secti ■ tc, 



ami especially the entranci 3 of the line-. Thi - I me. 

 in course of time, as dark as any comb. Yet that d not 

 fully explain all the particularities. 



Wax Preparation. 



To prepare the wax. the combs are usually melted 

 with some water; the wax rises to the top, and most of 

 the impurities, brood-cocoons and brood-excrements, also 

 rise to the top. Usually a layer of pure wax is found first, 

 then a layer of impurities mixed with wax, then some 

 impurities in the water, ami finally pure water strongly 

 colored by the combs, if they are old and dark. In that 

 last case the wax will also be very (J al "k. 



Cheshire says that water containing lime or other 

 alkaline substances damage the wax. Some European 

 writers claim that water containing iron will color the 

 wax. In either case, the trouble could be avoided by add- 

 ing a little sulphuric acid — one teaspoonful for a gallon 

 of water would be sufficient for the worst cases. 



The trouble comes wdien an attempt is made to sepa- 

 rate the wax from the impurities that are below the layer 

 of pure wax. With very old combs, or combs containing 

 pollen, dead brood, etc., there is no layer of pure wax— 

 the whole top is a mixture of wax and impurities. It is 

 claimed that the press alone can separate the wax from 

 the impurities — the slumgum, as they are called. I have 

 not had sufficient experience with the press to be positive 

 in my assertions, but I do not think that the wax can all 

 be pressed out of the pores of the slumgum, unless water 

 is made to take its place. And if such is really the case, it 

 is better to dispense with the press altogether. 



Several processes and apparatus to extract the wax 

 from the slumgum with the aid of boiling water have been 

 described. I described one in this paper a few years ago. 

 I have since made a change in it. The cheapest is to use 

 a wash-boiler, with a partition of fine wire-cloth placed at 

 five or six inches from one end. The combs to melt and 

 the water are put into the large compartment. Of course 

 the water goes also into the other through the wire-cloth. 

 So does the melted wax. In fact, this small compartment 

 is for the purpose of dipping out the wax without being 

 bothered by the slumgum. As the large compartment is 

 open, the slumgum can easily be stirred, punched and 

 mashed, until every particle of wax is out. 



It is best to have the fire rather low until the wax is 

 all melted and dipped out. That is, as much as possible, 

 for it takes quite a boiling to get it all. The reason for 

 it is because the wax just melted is of a much brighter 

 color, not being yet tainted by the excrements of the 

 brood and other coloring substances that may be in the 

 combs. In fact, these coloring substances are first dis- 

 solved by the water and then absorbed from the water by 

 the wax. For that reason the wax should be dipped out 

 as fast as it melts. While the first dipped is quite bright, 

 the last may be almost black through long contact with the 

 water. 



As much salt as the water can dissolve should be 

 added to it. It helps the separation of the wax consid- 

 erably, partly by raising the heat to the boiling point, 

 partly by increasing the density of the water, and, there- 

 fore, the tendency of the wax to rise above it. The wash- 

 boiler, or any vessel in which the operation is done, should 

 be tinned. Galvanized iron and copper may give the wax 

 a kind of green color. 



Refining Wax. 



The wax thus prepared is often too dark for commer- 

 cial purposes, or for surplus comb foundation.- But it can 

 be brought to a bright color by treating it with sulphuric 

 acid. The best way to do it on a small scale is to melt 

 the wax with about the same quantity of water in a tin 

 vessel. A tin bucket will do. It should not be quite full, 

 as there will be some foaming. When the water is boil- 

 ing, or nearly so, and the wax quite warm, the vessel is 

 taken from the fire. The acid is then poured in very 

 slowly, the wax being stirred well all the time. As the 

 acid does not act at once, it is well, when a spoonful or 

 so has been poured in. to wait a minute or two before 

 pouring more. The action of the acid causes a foaming, 



and if it was poured in ( ast the wax might run over. 



Be sure not to drop any acid on your hands or clothes, 

 ami to pour it in the mixture very slowly, otherwise there 

 will be serious trouble 



Keep stirring the wax all the time. When the foam 

 is white, and the wax under appears of an orange color, 

 the operation is done. The . cssel is put back on the fire; 

 the wax. or rather the wati r, brought to a i I then 



the vessel is taken out and left to cool. The slower it 

 cools the better. I usually put it on several thickrt 

 of old newspapers; put over and around quite a number; 



