Components of a Honeycomb
Macroscopically, the honeycomb is made up of the honey and the beeswax, which is a constructive hexagonal structure that houses the bees and honey. The worker bees make the beeswax from a lot of honey and pollen with the help of some special wax producing glands in their abdominal segments at a suitable temperature.
Chemically, beeswax is a complex substance, composed of more than 300 different substances. The main chemical elements that compose it are carbon (73.3%), hydrogen (13.2%), and oxygen (7.5%). It contains esters of higher fatty acids with higher monohydric alcohols, saturated hydrocarbons, free fatty acids, aromatics, water, stains, and other minerals. The composition can be changed depending on some of the genetic features of the colony or under the influence of the environment. When melting the honeycomb, it is enriched with additional impurities from propolis, pollen, and honey, which increases its useful bioinfluence. The chemical composition of beeswax is too complicated. It contains about 15 different chemical compounds, which are divided into three groups: free fatty acids (13.5 to 15%), esters (70.4 to 74.7%), and limit saturated hydrocarbons (12.5 to 15.5 %). Furthermore, the composition of beeswax includes small quantities of dyes and essential oils that determine its color and smell. [1]
