Wax can be obtained from many fruits, vegetables and plants. Waxes are also produced by animals and are found in minerals and petroleum. There are also synthetic, or man-made waxes. We acquire wax from many different sources. Carnauba wax is obtained from the leaves of the carnauba palm tree of Brazil. It is a brown wax used in records, floor dressings and candles. Bayberry wax, from the berries of the shrub, is also used for making candles. Worker bees secrete wax that they use in making their honeycombs. This is used in making cosmetics, church candles, polishes, crayons and artificial flower. Wool wax from wool-bearing animals is called lanolin and it used in some iontments, cosmetics and soaps. More than 90 per cent of all commercial wax used today is petroleum wax. It has a wide variety of uses because it is odourless, tasteless and chemically inactive.
FACT FILE
Inside a hive, the bees store their honey in a network of wax which is called a honeycomb. Each one is made up of thousands of little six-sided cells. The bees feed on the honey during the cold winter months.
resources: Tell me why (Chancellor Press)
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image 2: http://kardsunlimited.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/honeeeeey.jpg
