362 



Beeswax : Methods of Extraction. 



[July, 



BEESWAX: 

 METHODS OF EXTRACTION, AND 

 THE PREVENTION OF WASTE. 



W. Herrod-Hempsall. 



Wax is not gathered by the worker bee, but is organically pro- 

 duced in her body from honey and pollen, by secretion. It is 

 formed voluntarily by the bees fihing their stomachs with honey, 

 hanging in the hive in chain-like clusters, and remaining per- 

 fectly quiet for twenty-four hours. A good deal of pollen is 

 consumed to make up for the wear and tear of tissue during wax 

 secretion. During this period the wax glands convert the honey 

 taken into their bodies into liquid wax, which exudes through 

 tiny perforations into eight small pockets, or moulds, situated on 

 the underside of the last four abdominal segments, where it 

 hardens into small white scales (Fig. 1). It is then plucked out, 

 made plastic by the admixture of saliva, and utilised for the 

 building of the comb, the hermetic sealing of honey cells, and, 

 with the addition of pollen, for the porous sealing of brood cells. 

 It is computed that from ten to twenty pounds of honey are 

 required to make one pound of wax. The work of wax secretion 

 tells severely upon the vital powers of the bee, and being a 

 valuable and costly product, none of it should be wasted. 



When cleaning hives or appliances, a box should be kept for 

 the collection of all refuse and burr combs. The scrapings from 

 the floor board, which are generally thrown on the ground during 

 spring cleaning, should be saved, although they contain a quan- 

 tity of dirt and propolis, for there is generally sufficient wax to 

 make it worth the trouble of collection and extraction. The 

 honey combs used for extracting do not wear out, but last indefi- 

 nitely; brood combs, on the contrary, become thickened by the 

 cocoons and cast skins of the moulting larvae, and must be con- 

 tinually renewed. Wax can therefore be obtained from old 

 brood combs and the cappings from extracting combs. 



Methods of Extraction. — The extraction of the wax may be 



made by using : — 



(1) The Solar Wax Extractor. 



(2) Steam. 



(3) BoiHng water. 



(4) The heat of the oven. 



The most efficient and economical method is the first. The 

 cost of the extractor is the only expense incurred, as the sun 



