Page 139 - The Miracle of the Honeybee

Harun Yahya 137

The First Stage in Comb Construction: Wax Production

Beeswax is the main building material
in the comb. Bees secrete wax from four
pairs of glands under their abdomens.
Where these glands meet, there are two
small apertures. Here the wax is secreted,
in small, thin scales. To collect this wax,
bees use the hooks made of the small
hairs on their hindlegs. They then push
the wax forward to their middle legs,
then to their forelegs. (Bees have six legs.)
Finally, they pick the wax up in their
mouths and make it malleable by chew-
ing it. 123 As soon as one scale of wax is re-
The wax emerges as plates in the
moved, another immediately emerges
apertures above.
behind it.
In the secretion of wax, heat is the
most important factor. For that reason, when workers begin to construct
the comb, they first come together in a chain resembling a large ball. The
o
35 degrees centigrade (95 F) temperature necessary for beeswax to be-
come malleable is thus ensured, and thus it becomes a pliable substance
suited to construction.
Beeswax is white when first secreted. After pollen and other materials
are mixed into it, the color turns yellow and brown. The chemical ingredi-
ents of beeswax are as follows: 124
Hydrocarbon . . . 14%
Monoesters . . . 35%
Diesters . . . 14%
Hydroxy-polyesters . . . 8%
Free acids . . . 12%
The process of wax production necessitates substantial quantities of
energy. Bees consume approximately 22 kilograms (48.5 pounds) of honey

Adnan Oktar