IV.3.1.7. WAX
The wax is a product secreted of the bees wax glands located on the last four abdominal rings, called sternites. Each ring has two glands, consisting of 10 000-20 000 secretory cells. These cells become functional from the age of three days of the bees and their functions cease when the wax bees move into foraging bees. These cells secrete small wax flakes which are taken with the feet, then knead with the mandibles and modeled according to the intentional forms. During this processing, the bees add to the wax the secretions of certain chest, neck and lips glands, secretions that produce enzymes, especially lipases and proteases. The small flakes produced this way have a weight of 0.2-2mg. To produce one kilogram of wax are required a large number ofsmall flakes: 1 250 000-5 000 000.
Physical properties of wax: at 20oC it has a density of 0.9956 to 0.970, the melting point is at 64-66oC; n20D refractive index: 1.4430 to 1.4571; color: white, brown, yellow, orange, gray; characteristic odor; insoluble in cold water or alcohol.
Chemical composition: typical for this beekeeping product, comprising: monoesters - 71% cholesterol esters - 1% coloring matter (1-3 ditrixiflavone) - 0.3%; latone - 0.6%; free alcohols - 1 to 1, 25%; free ceric acids - from 13.5 to 14%; hydrocarbons 10.5 to 13.5%; moisture - 1-2%.
Usability of the bee wax: in various economic activities, in cosmetics, in painting, in the production of ointments with therapeutic applications, in the preparation of poultices; chewed as honey comb or caps, the wax provides the body twice more A vitamin than the cow meat, for example.
Within the Apitherapy Medical Center, based on its pharmacodynamic properties, the wax harvested as caps is prescribed to the patients suffering from tonsillitis, rhinitis, pharyngitis, rhinosinusitis, streptococcal infections, staphylococcal infections etc. It has a disinfectant action at the mouth and breathing levels.
Also, the colored wax comes into the composition of the honey bee therapeutic product Apidigest which together with other bee products, is given in constipation – it stimulates the peristalsis - and especially it get good results in the autoimmune diseases of the digestive tract.
Based on its properties, but also due to its support capacity, adding to it the honey of various sorts, from the extracts of pollen, bee bread and propolis, the bee steroids synthesized by our own methods, other bee extracts of our own design, extracts from various plants with the complete avoidance of the oxidation or other degradations, bovine albumin, minerals, vitamins and so on; according to the therapeutic pursued target, were obtained particularly effective ointments (Andrițoiu, 1995, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2010; Database AMC, Bălănești - Gorj, 1991-2011).