On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants’ hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from your most holy Church.
The Exultet, 4th century
Beeswax is the material that bees produce for making their combs.
The Greek philosopher Aristoteles wrote between 344 and 342 B.C. that beeswax originates in the flowers. 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 reported that
bees themselves produce the wax.
Beeswax has many uses. The old Egyptians used beeswax when embalming and mummification of their pharaons and for modelling, the Persians used
wax to embalm the dead, while the ancient Romans modelled death masks and life-size effigies from beeswax.
Beekeepers use beeswax to make foundatations for their combs, it is used
in cosmetics as an ingredient of creams, ointments and
lotions.
You can download for free the Beeswax Book,if you are member of the Bee Hexagon Knowledge Network (free membership offered).
The book will be updated, look at the publication date.