Many people don't realize that they may be using a product containing beeswax right now and not even know about it. Although we have all heard about beeswax, have you really stopped to think how bees make it and why? Probably not, so let me give you a quick lesson about it.

In an attempt to live a more health conscious lifestyle, my wife and I began switching our everyday products to natural choices. One of changes we made was in the candles that we were burning at home. We changed from traditional candles made from paraffin wax to 100% pure beeswax candles. Of course, being a curious individual, I looked into how beeswax is produced by the bees and why they do it. Some of these facts I knew before hand and some I didn't.

What is Beeswax Anyways? It is a waxy substance produced by glands on the abdomen of the bee. The bees first collect floral sugars (nectars) and pollens. They then convert the nectars into honey and eventually into wax. By consuming the honey, the bee will produce tiny scales of wax. It takes about 1,000 of these scales to make up one gram of wax. The bees need to consume eight pounds of honey to produce one pound of wax. The beeswax actually starts out white, not yellow as we all thought. The yellow colour comes from contact with the pollens that they collect and contact with the bees themselves.

What do the bees use the wax for? There are a few uses for the beeswax. Some of the beeswax is used to produce the brood comb. This is the area where the eggs are laid, and is usually found in the lower part of the hive. The brood comb will usually appear dark because of the all the pupil linings and other impurities accumulated over time that are tracked in by the bees. They also use beeswax to produce the honey comb. This is the structure that stores the honey and the pollen gathered by the worker bees. Finally, there are the wax cappings. This beeswax is used to seal the cavities of the comb. It is the purest form of beeswax and is typically white or light yellow in colour.

What do we use beeswax for? Well, there are hundreds of uses for beeswax. The two main commodities that use beeswax are cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Together these two account for approximately 60 to 70 percent of all the beeswax consumption. Most people think of candles when you mention beeswax, but they only consume 20 percent.