Making Beeswax Candles, Polishes & Homemade Cosmetics - Part 1
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Beeswax has been used for thousands of years for a variety of purposes. In ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and China, beeswax was used for mummification, paintings, seals, candles, and medicine. Throughout history, beeswax was crucial for lost wax casting techniques and was the main ingredient in encaustic painting. While beeswax was once the primary wax, the development of paraffin wax in the 19th century reduced its exclusivity, though it remains the most expensive natural wax. Beeswax is still used today in batik art, sculpture preservation, candle making, wood polishes, and leather treatments.
Making Beeswax Candles, Polishes & Homemade Cosmetics - Part 1
- 1. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 1 Beeswax: Uses and Trade Stefan Bogdanov Bee Product Science, www.bee-hexagon.net The honeybags steal from the humble-bees And for wax tappers crop their waxen thighs And light them at the fiery glow-worms’ eyes To have my love to bed, and to arise Midsummer Nights Dream, Act III, William Shakespeare BEESWAX USE IN THE PAST History of beeswax use The old Egyptians used beeswax when embalming, for mummification of their pharaohs and for retaining the permenancy of whig curls, for preserving the papyrus scrolls and to protect paintings. The wrappings of Egyptian mummies contained beeswax 4 . Beeswax was mentioned in 32 prescriptions, given in a papyrus, compiled in Egypt about 1550 BC 15 The ancient Persians used wax to embalm the dead, while the ancient Romans modelled death masks and life-size effigies from beeswax. The world mummy derives from a Persian word meaning wax In ancient times beeswax was used as an adhesive to join two surfaces together. The ancient Greek legend of the Athenian, the architect Daedalus (Dedalos),is remembered because he and his son Icarus tried to escape from the island Crete, made themselves wings of bird feathers, which they fastened to their bodies with beeswax. Flying too high, Ikaros had the wax which held it's wings to his body, melt, and he plunged into the Aegean Sea, drowning. His father flew at a lower height and made it safely to Athens, where he built a temple to honour Apollo.
- 2. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 2 The ancient god, Pan, guardian of bees, invented a musical instrument, Pan's Pipes, by joining reeds together with beeswax, and blowing through them to make music. The great Greek physician, Discorides, wrote of rolling beeswax into sheets which was then used to make artificial flowers. Ancient jewellers and artisans knew how to form delicate objects from wax and cast them later in precious metals. Colours of ancient wall paintings and icons contain beeswax which has remained unchanged for more than 2000 years 6 (Birshtein et al., 1976). The Greek-Roman doctor Galen, 2nd AC used beeswax in a cooling ointment. The famous Iranian physician Avicenne, 10th AC, recommended beeswax for medicine. According to 35 “in Chinas most famous medicine book “The Shen Nong Book of Herbs”, 1-2nd BC, beeswax was recognised as a top medicinal ingredient. It is praised for its beneficial influence on blood and energy systems and the overall balance of the body. The author attributes beauty enhancement and anti-aging properties to beeswax.. Combined with other ingredients it is applied on the skin for treating wounds and as a health food for dieting. Many recipes are given is this authoritative source of traditional Chinese medicine. Ge Hong (about 284-364, Jin dynasty) and Sun Simiao (581-682) recommend 'beeswax therapy1, i.e. a heat treatment of skin areas with cloths impregnated with molten beeswax. Liu Yuxi in 841 gives a detailed description of beeswax therapy more than 1000 years earlier than the paraffin wax therapy from the Frenchman Barthe de Sandford (1909). "The Sages Prescriptions", edited by the Song Dynasty Imperial Hospital (992), mentions diet therapy, health-improvement and anti-aging prescriptions containing honey, beeswax and honeycomb”. The Romans demanded beeswax when they conquered Corsica in 181 BC9 . In Medieval European times wax was a unit of trade for taxes or other. Candles of beeswax were used already by the ancient Egyptians, ancient Greece, Rome and in old China16 It was introduced in churches since the beginning of Christianity in Europe. Since 4AC it is required by the Roman Catholic Church that only beeswax candle should be used in the church. This law is still valid but no longer 100 % beeswax is required, the percentage varies according to the local Episcopal instruction between 5 and 50 %. Beeswax was used for making of figures and cult objects in ancient Egypt. In regions with stingless bees stingless-beeswax figures were made in different South American countries and in Australia16 . Beeswax was an important ingredient of ancient seals 16 . At the beginning pure beeswax was used and only later resin and colour were added . In ancient Egypt beeswax was used for writing tablets, the oldest known being from around 1300 BC16 . The use of writing tablets continued until after the Middle Ages in Europe. The production and selling of beeswax and beeswax candles was a good business until the introduction of paraffin wax in the 19th century. Nowadays beeswax has lost its exclusiveness, but it remains the most expensive of all natural waxes.
- 3. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 3 Theories about the origin of beeswax during the ages The Greek philosopher Aristoteles wrote between 344 and 342 B.C. that beeswax originates in the flowers. This theory which was supported by the Roman apiculturists and writers Varro (116 to 27 B.C.) and Pliny, the Elder (23 to 79 A.D.). This theory predominated until the Renaissance. Swammmerdam wrote in 1673 that wax was prepared by bees from pollen. In 1684 Martin John observed for the first time wax scales. In 1744 the German scientist Hornbostel 22 reported that bees themselves produce the wax. This report was not considered by the scientific community until the publications by Hunter in 1792 24 and in 1814 by Huber23 . Hunter noted and that bees secrete wax and build combs, and also, that newly built combs are white. He observed that bees do not need pollen to make wax. The views of Hunter were expanded by Huber, who proposed that sugar is needed to produce wax. In 1903 the process of wax synthesis was described in detail by Dreyling 18 . While in early times beeswax was the only available wax, with time man learned to produce other waxes from plant animal and lately also of synthetic origin. BEESWAX USE IN ART Beeswax as ingredient of artistic materials Batik art Beeswax is used in the batik art . The word " batik " is of Indonesian origin, where batik art was invented. Evidence of early examples of batik have been found in the Far East, Middle East, Central Asia and India from over 2000 years ago. It is conceivable that these areas developed independently, without the influence from trade or cultural exchanges. However, it is more likely that the craft spread from Asia to the islands of the Malay Archipelago and west to the Middle East through the caravan route. Batik was practised in China as early as the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618). These were silk batiks and these have also been discovered in Nara, Japan in the form of screens and ascribed to the Nara period (AD 710-794). It is probable that these were made by Chinese artists. They are decorated with trees, animals, flute players, hunting scenes and stylised mountains. Indonesia, most particularly the island of Java, is the area where batik has reached the greatest peak of accomplishment. The Dutch brought Indonesian craftsmen to teach the craft to Dutch warders in several factories in Holland from 1835. With this method colour is introduced into fabric. Portions of the cloth, covered with wax resist the dyes. When the dyeing process is complete the wax is removed by heat. Batik is still used all over the world. Different books on batik can be found on the market. Ancient Indonesian batik Ancient Chinese batik
- 4. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 4 Lost wax casting and figures Figures containing beeswax survived in royal Egyptian tombs dating from 3400 BC 13 .Throughout history it has been used in commerce and business as a document seal. One of the most important uses of beeswax was in “cire-perdue”, or lost wax casting 12 ,17 . This method is very old and was known in different old high cultures as the Summerians, India, China, Egypt. Many of the world’s most famous statues were produced using the lost-wax casting process. The object to be cast in metal is first sculptured in wax. It was then coated with clay and hardened by heat, thus melting the wax. Molten metal is then poured into the clay model. This technique requires a lot of metal. Less metal is required if a core of removable material is coated heavily with wax in which the image is engraved. The whole is then coated with clay, dried, the wax melted out and the metal poured in. Ancient India Ancient Nepal Africa, 17 C Ancient Peru Charles V Fountain lion, old Italy Old lost wax sculptures and figures Bronze preservation Bronze statues should be coated twice a year with a solution consisting of 1/3 pound of pure beeswax dissolved in one quart of pure pine turpentine. This solution is to be brushed over the statue in a swirling motion, using round semi-stiff hair brushes. Let solution dry for 24 hours, then rub lightly with a felt, velvet or wool pad, to only the high points of the statue so as to leave the depressions with a shadow effect. Care must be taken to apply the solution to the statue only when the statue is dry.
- 5. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 5 The sculptures of Madam Tussaud's The sculptures of Madam Tussaud's in London and now in other countries, too, are widely known and copied in many countries. In the museum, famous people are copied in wax and dressed as life-sized figures. A mixture of three parts beeswax and one part of a harder wax are used 36 Modelling in wax, or ceroplasty is a well developed art used also for scientific models in important collections around the world 1 During the last century, wax flower modelling was apparently popular in Europe. A bibliography on wax modellers, collections and history 33 by a handbook on sculpting with wax and plaster 31 have been published Encaustic painting Beeswax is used also in encaustic painting. In this painting technique beeswax is a chief ingredient of the colour, used by the artist. Encaustic painting was very popular with the ancient Greeks and Romans. Beeswax is melted with a resin and pigment and is then applied by heatable pallet. The colour application should have been very quick, because dallying would lead to the wax re-solidifying on the brush, making it impossible to apply as a paint.The finished paintings is durable and does not attract dust. Ancient encaustic paintings can still be admired in museums, e.g. in the British museum. Encaustic painting was practiced by Greek artists as far back as the 5th century B. C. Most of our knowledge of this early use comes from the Roman historian Pliny, who wrote in the 1st century A. D.. Pliny seems to have had very little direct knowledge about studio methods, so his account of techniques and materials is sketchy. According to Pliny, encaustic was used in a variety of applications: the painting of portraits and scenes of mythology on panels, the coloring of marble and terra cotta, and work on ivory (probably the tinting of incised lines). For more informations, consult www.encausticart.com, http://beetree.se Roman encaustic painting 2-4 AC
- 6. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 6 Further reading: 9, 13, 16, 17, 20 CANDLES Candles made of beeswax have been used by mankind in religious ceremonies since a very long time 17 . Beeswax candles can be made by different methods: pouring, dipping, rolling, extruding, drawing and pressing. The different methods of candle making are described in detail elsewhere 11 . Since beeswax has a higher melting point than most paraffin waxes (most of which melt between 48 and 680 C) beeswax candles remain straight at higher ambient temperatures.. Waxes with a melting point above 880 C do not perform well during burning. There are three methods of making candles: molding, dipping and rolling. Explanation of these techniques are found elsewhere 10, 11 : rolled candle molded candles dipped candles molded beeswax figures with a rolled candle in the middle and molded candles on the sides Molding Beeswax is molded in different shapes, modern ones are made of silicon. Many different shapes are supplied with instructions how to make the candles under home conditions. Candles molded in silicon forms are easily made. The candles can be taken out of the forms after hardening of the wax. Wax is liquefied easily by placing the wax in a pot, situated in a water bath heated at 70 to 80o C . Making the candles before Christmas when it is cold, forms can be placed in the open to speed up hardening. An alternative is placing the candles for about half an hour in a freezer.
- 7. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 7 Dipping Dipped candles are very appealing, but the technique is more difficult and labour intensive. It is great fun to dip candles in a group or within the family. Rolling Rolling is a very easy way of making candles. Comb foundations are mostly rolled around a wick. Foundations should be softened at about 25-30 o C to increase plasticity. Tips for optimal burning of a candle: • beeswax candles burn significantly longer than paraffin candles 5 • For optimal and long duration of burning beeswax should be stored for at least an year in the freezer • Thinner candles (until 24 mm) burn more constantly than thicker ones and build less smoke and soot. • Thicker candles can begin to soot after a certain time. In this case the wick should be shortened by cutting it off with scissors. After extinguishing the fire the wick should be carefully placed in the liquid wax, without damaging the edge of the candle. Before lightning these candles again cut off the already burned part of the wick. These candles should burn for a longer time in order to prevent worsening of the ration between the burnt wax and the burnt wick • The first time you line burn your candle for one hour for every 2.5 cm of candle diameter. This will allow the pool of wax to be extended and will prevent the building of a tunnel in the centre • If wick size is correctly proportioned with respect to the diameter of the candle (information supplied by the trading company), the beeswax candle is less likely to drip than candles made from other materials. HOMEMADE BEESWAX FURNISHES AND POLISHES Beeswax furniture furnish Beeswax floor furnish Leather furnish 5-6 parts of beeswax, 8 parts tallow and 8 parts neatsfoot oil This is not a polish. It is a lotion that conditions and waterproofs smooth leather superbly. Heat ingredients together to 160 degrees F. Mix thoroughly and pour into containers. Wood polish (liquid or paste like) 1.5 parts turpentine and 1 part beeswax or b) 4 parts beeswax, 2 parts turpentine, 1 part of orange, lemon, coconut or lineseed oil. Grate beeswax into the turpentine. Add one of the oils and mix. Store in labelled tins or bottles with tight fitting lids.
- 8. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 8 The ratio of solvent to beeswax determines whether this is a paste wax or a liquid polish. Other ingredients are often added such as pigments, lemon oil, linseed oil, or tung oil. More volatile solvents can be added or substituted to make a faster-drying, thinner polish Carnauba wax is often added to make a harder, shinier finish. Classically, on "raw" wood the paste polish is applied warm, so the turpentine soaks into the pores of the wood and pulls some beeswax with it. Excess polish is brushed or scraped off. When dry, the resultant wax film is polished with brisk rubbing. A recipe for an artists' varnish 3 parts turpentine and 1 part beeswax. Mix thoroughly. Wax varnish has a beautiful non-glossy sheen. It is easy to remove from a painting or plaque without damaging the paint, though it yellows a little faster then most other varnishes so you will have to clean your painting sooner (after ten to fifteen years). However, it gives a period effect that is hard to duplicate with modern materials. Detailed discussions and recipes for preparations with synthetic wax are presented by Jones 26 who also lists reasons such as the formation of soft, easily marred films and a lack of availability, why natural beeswax is increasingly being replaced by other waxes in polishes. There is a variation in recipes, thus it is obvious that there are many ways of preparing a wood polish suitable for particular application. Turpentine is the most commonly available natural solvent for wax, but other oils may be substituted to avoid the rather strong odour of turpentine. Suitable alternatives are orange, lemon or linseed oil, or other refined vegetable oils. The wax content can range from 5 to 50% and occasionally even more. The consistency of the paste or oil may change, but can be corrected with appropriate adjustments in the proportions of each ingredient, e.g. less oil or more wax if it is too liquid. BEESWAX USES: SUMMARY Besides its use for foundations, which is probably the main use, wax is also used for following purposes: cosmetics 25-30, pharmacy 25-30 %, candles: 20 % and other purposes: 10-20 % 14 . Beeswax is often preserved in archaeological deposits and thus there are many witnesses for its early use 12 . More details concerning the different uses of beeswax in past and present are given elsewhere 5 10, 11, 14, 17, 20, 21, 27, 29 . The different uses of beeswax are summarised in the table below. In beekeeping, beeswax is used for the production of comb foundations.
- 9. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 9 Application of beeswax for different product categories after CBI, EU Market Survey, Honey and Beeswax, 2002, www.cbi.eu Product category Products Characteristics Candles Candles (poured into moulds or dipped) Solidity, slow burning, therapeutic effect Wax foundation Rolled and poured wax foundation sheets Production increase of honey Art Wax figures and statues Melting and moulding properties, solidity and resistance against melting Sculptures Metal castings, modelling, jewellery, lost wax casting Plasticity, mouldability, melting properties Engraving Glass and metal engraving Protection against etching acid, resist technique Processed food Confectionery, bakery, packaging, Coating of jellied sweets and liquorice Separation agent, preservation, anti-sticking agent Pharmaceuticals Drugs, pills, capsules, salve and ointments Consistancy, binding agent, time release mechanism, carrier of drug Physiotherapy Compresses Warmth retaining capacity Natural therapy Ear plugs Softness, impermeabilty Cosmetics Creams, lotions, lipstick, mascara, eye shadows, deodorants, hair creams, depilatories, hair conditioners Emollient and emulsifier. Improvement of appearance, consistency and sensitivity to melting Textiles Batik Waterproofing, paint resistant, resist technique Handicrafts Eco design Plastering agent for artisans Musical instruments Flutes, didgeridoo, violins, drums Softness of mouth parts and reduction of porosity Varnishes and polishes Paintings, art restoration, metal, wood and leather treatment Protection, impermeability for air, humidity and pests Industrial products Anti-corrosion rust inhibitor, lubricants Decrease viscosity, drawing agent, prevention of corrosion Beeswax has been used in a variety of products and processes from packaging to processing and preservation. It was used as a component of numerous applications in industrial technology: as components of insulating materials, but all of the descriptions being published before 1981 39 . Many of these applications could be accomplished with other, cheaper waxes. Since most of these processes involve large scale and complicated production procedures, they are not described here.
- 10. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 10 USES FOR FOOD AND HEALTH Cosmetics Since ancient times, the basic recipe for creams and ointments has consisted of a mixture of beeswax and oil in various proportions according to the desired consistency. Beeswax has an irritation potential of zero, and a comedogenicity rating of 0 - 2, which means that when formulated and used correctly in cosmetic formulations, beeswax will not cause a problem or clog the pores, but brings a host of very positive attributes, such as general healing and softening, as an antiseptic, and an emollient to cosmetic products. Beeswax has unique characteristics, making it an ideal material for cosmetics: builds stable immulsions, improves water binding of ointments and creams gives the skin a protective actin of a non-onclusive type, increasing the protective action of sun creams, its elasticity and plasticity improve allow thinner films and provide a greater permanence on skin and lips improves soap function, gives a protective film on skin and improves ist elasticity. improves protective action of sun creams, does not provoke allergy. Has antibiotic and thermo-storing roperties Does not provoke allergic reaction Desired effect can be achieved often by as little as 1 to 3 % beeswax 11 It not only improves the appearance and consistency of creams and lotions but is also a preferred ingredient for lipsticks, because it contributes to sheen, consistency and colour stabilization It increases the protective action of sunscreens Other cosmetic applications are found in cold creams (8-12% beeswax content by weight), deodorants (up to 35 %), depilatories (hair removers, up to 50%), hair creams (5-10%), hair conditioners (1-3%), mascara (6- 12%), rouge (10-15%), eye shadows (6-20%) and others. Traditionally, vegetable oils were used but they become rancid and limit the period for which such creams can be used. Today, most plant oils have been replaced by mineral oils such as liquid paraffin or preservatives are added. Selective use of vegetable oils from olives, corn, peanuts, jojoba, cacao, palms, coconuts and others still continues, since many of their beneficial effects cannot be provided by synthetic mineral oils. In order to mix the otherwise incompatible beeswax and oils with water, all of which are essential ingredients of any cream or lotion, an emulsifier has to be added. Borax is the classic emulsifier, available in most pharmacies. Today's "high-chemistry" cosmetics use a large array of other synthetic emulsifiers. The chemical process on which the emulsification is based is the saponification of the acids in beeswax, i.e. the result is technically a soap. The associated cleansing effect is exploited in so-called cleansing creams, which are very much like simple skin creams. To remove the free acids from beeswax so that it no longer needs an emulsifier and can be easily mixed with pigments and mineral products, a special process was developed and patented 7 (Brand, 1989). Beeswax cosmetic products
- 11. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 11 Recipes for home made cosmetics Skin cold creams Add 5 parts of beeswax to 3 parts of coconut oil. Melt ingredients in separate heat-resistant wide-mouth jars in a simmering pan of water, heated at about 70 o C. Mix thoroughly. Place the mixture jar in a pan of cool water and continue stirring. Transfer the cool cream into final containers. The cream that is fairly solid when cold but will "melt" onto your hands as you rub it in Ingredients other than coconut oil may be used. It is in this formula because it melts at skin temperature. Olive oil is often mixed with beeswax to make a skin lotion. 1 part beeswax, 2 parts water, 3 parts oil, borax (5% to 6% of the beeswax used). Heat beeswax and oil to 160 degrees F. Heat the borax and water to 160 degrees F. Mix and stir. Perfumes or essential oils should be added at 140 degrees F, and the mixture should be stirred until it is 120 degrees when it should be poured in jars and allowed to cool. The borax emulsifies the beeswax, sort of like making soap. Borax is alkali and it neutralizes the fatty acids in beeswax when mixed, producing an oil-water emulsion cream-like in consistency. Cream against rough skin Roughly equal parts of beeswax and olive oil melted together is all that has been needed for centuries to make a salve that helps prevent and heal chapping and rough skin. Olive oil has been mixed with beeswax for centuries, and is good for dry skin that needs to be softened. In modern times odourless/colorless mineral oil has been mixed with beeswax to make a soft, flexible coating that is not absorbed by the skin and repels water yet is removed easily with soap and water. Lip balm 2 part shredded beeswax, 4 parts of coconut oil, 1 part glycerine (optional) 2 parts liquid honey, 4 drops of essential oil such as almond, peppermint, orange or lemon. Heat the beeswax, coconut oil and glycerine to 160 deg F. Remove from heat. Add the honey and stir until the mixture starts to thicken (140 degrees or so), then evenly add the essential oil while stirring and continue to stir the mixture until cool. Pour into final containers (small screw-top balm jars) at about 120 degrees and let set until completely cool. Natural lip gloss 1 part of shredded beeswax, 2 parts oil of your choice, natural colouring as needed. Heat the beeswax and oil to 160 deg F. For colour, add a natural vegetable colouring (like beet powder, raspberry or blackberry juice). You will have to experiment with the right combination of wax oil and colour. Pour into final containers and let set until completely cool. Package with a lipstick brush. The part measures are mostly by weight. If mixtures are heated use hot water, hot was is inflammable! Food processing and apitherapy Food processing Beeswax is considered safe for human consumption and has been approved as an ingredient in human food in the USA 38 It is inert, i.e. it does not interact with the human digestive system at all and passes through the body unaltered. However, substances dissolved or encapsulated in wax are slowly released. This property is exploited in many medicinal preparations. At the same time these properties can create a problem when wax is stored near toxic chemicals and pesticides or after treatment with various drugs inside the hive. Any fat soluble toxins can be absorbed and then released much later when the wax is consumed as food, used in cosmetics or given to bees in the form of foundation sheets. Beeswax is an authorised food preservative in the European Union under the name of E 901 19 Consumption of 1290 g beeswax per person and day are permitted. It is used for the coverage of chocolate candys, for surface treatments chocolate, fruits, nuts, coffee beans, bakery, amd as a carrier of colours in food technology. of fruits to prevent them for drying out, A common, simple and small scale application for beeswax is the protection of containers against the effects of acids from fruit juices or honey. Indeed, steel drums for storage and shipment of honey have to be treated to prevent corrosion and dissolution of iron. The
- 12. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 12 treatment may involve an expensive food grade paint, a plastic liner made from a food grade plastic film or a thin coat of beeswax. Apitherapy Beeswax is the least allergenic bee product. There is only one report on skin allergy caused by beeswax 30 Beeswax has antibacterial properties 28 and when applied to the skin improves its elasticity and makes it look fresh and smooth. It is used for coating of drugs and pills, facilitates ingestion, but retards dissolution. Beeswax can be mixed with the drug, thus retarding drug releasing. Beeswax can be chewed for strengthening the gingival and to increasing saliva and stomach juices page 94 from 32 . Warm beeswax has excellent warming properties when applied against inflammations of muscles, nerves and joints. For this reason the Bulgarian medical doctor Pochinkova suggests that beeswax is the main bee product to be used for thermo-therapy, see page 140 from 32 . For this purpose following application is suggested applied after muscle, nerve and tendon inflammation due to colds, lumbago, neuritis, mialgitis, arthosis, arthritis: Dip a piece of soft cotton cloth, cut according to the size of the applied body part, into liquid beeswax. Lay down to cool at an even place. Before use warm up, e.g. at a maximum of 50 o C in an oven, and place on body part, mostly overnight, cover with an schal for insulatation. The wax cloth can be used many times. Such wax cloths are available at chemists or drug stores in some countries. Beeswax packing against small children’s cold are commercially available in some countries (e.g. Germany and Switzerland)
- 13. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 13 ECONOMY AND TRADE Beeswax economy and trade date from very early age. Beeswax was traded already in old Greece and Rome. The Romans demanded beeswax when they conquered Corsica in 181 BC9 . In Medieval European times wax was a unit of trade for taxes or other. Different grades of wax are traded. The colour of beeswax will vary from light to medium and dark. Light yellow beeswax, mild in odour is preferable. Bennet3 divides wax into three grades. The first of these is “crude, bleachable and non-bleachable, available in lumps and blocks”. The other two grades are white and yellow waxes, both of which described in the Pharmacopoeia 2 . Today, mainly two basic types of beeswax are traded: pharmaceutical and cosmetic grade and a general application grade. Strahl and Pitch, the leading wax refiners in the USA trade at present 6 cosmetic/pharmaceutical grades and 5 general use beeswax grades. Beeswax from different countries has different properties, especially its readiness to bleach 11 . . Nearly all commercial wax produced is by Apis mellifera. It is difficult to obtain reliable figures on wax production, as the greater part of beeswax is used in beekeeping for producing comb foundations. Of all bee products the economic importance of beeswax is second after that of honey. It is estimated that its production is about 1.5 to 2.5 % of that of honey 14 . On the basis of the assumption by FAO Comtrade statistics, that 1.19 million tons of honey were produced in 1991, between 17,850 to 29,750 tons of wax was produced during the same period 25 . The same source cites following figures on the trade of beeswax: “In world trade statistics beeswax is grouped with other insect waxes. Nevertheless, beeswax is a major component of insect waxes, and the trade value can be safely assumed to be that of beeswax. Based on the information derived from COMTRADE data base, total value of the insect waxes traded internationally during 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991 was 23.63, 23.27, 26.08 and 23.35 million US$, respectively. During 1992, major exporting countries were China (14.9%), United Republic of Tanzania (11.4%), Germany (11.1%), Canada (7.0%), the Netherlands (6.3%), Brazil (6.1%), Japan (5.7%), USA (4.8%) and Ethiopia (3.7%); collectively accounting for 71% of the total trade volume in insect waxes. Australia, France, Chile, UK, Dominion Republic and New Zealand were some of the minor origins” World trade in beeswax for 2003, after 8 World trade in beeswax Export tons Import tons World 10’336 11’949 Asia 5’213 1’995 Africa 795 258 Europe 2167 6’873 Biggest exporters and importers China 4‘814 127 Dominican Republic 39 1 Ethiopia 402 1 France 495 1’243 Germany 919 2’363 Japan 89 713 Mexico 14 71 Portugal 10 32 Spain 113 336 United Kingdom 102 731 USA 1’097 2’195 Source: All data FAOSTAT, 2005, unless stated otherwise.
- 14. The Beeswax Book, Chapter 1 Bee Product Science, September 2009 14 Comtrade statistics have mixed refined/bleached wax and raw wax production data. However, there are no other statistics sources which do this separation. The major exporting countries of raw beeswax for the same year, and probably still at present are: China, Tanzania, Canada, Brazil and Ethiopia, together with Australia, France, Chile, New Zealand and the Central African Republic 34 . In the main, beeswax exported from Germany, the Netherlands, UK and USA is re-exported refined/bleached wax, produced out of the raw wax of the above exporting countries 34 . The USA is a major raw beeswax supplier, consuming most of its own production, being also a worldwide supplier of refined wax 34 . Tropical and developing countries dominate world beeswax production and export, with industrialized countries needing to import beeswax. This is because, as described above, in local styles of beekeeping both honey and wax are harvested. According to the Comtrade statistics the price per ton beeswax in 1991 was 3,300 to 3600 $ 25 The world wholesale price of beeswax s usually around US$ 4-10 per kilogram. As a major part of the commercial beeswax is now contaminated by acaricides 37 , there is an increased need on the market for residue-free beeswax. African beeswax, at present mostly free of acaricides, is a good candidate for the near future. Further Reading on beeswax: 9, 11, 20, 27
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