Bee Wax Uses

There are 25,000 types of bees, but the honeybee is the only one that produces beeswax. It does so by consuming honey and then secreting the beeswax. Bees needs to eat about 10 pounds of honey to produce one pound of beeswax. Beeswax has been popular with people for centuries.

Wood Finish

Combine equal parts beeswax and mineral oil, heat in a double boiler and rub the mixture on your wood furniture. This will help protect furniture from severe dryness and give it a more authentic finish.

Dresser Drawers

Rub a small amount of beeswax on a dresser drawer's wooden rails to make the drawer slide more smoothly.

Tools

Apply beeswax to your tools once or twice a month to keep them lubricated and help prevent dull edges.

Ironwork

Make a polish for your ironwork by combining one part linseed oil and one part mineral spirits and melting the mixture into beeswax. Using beeswax gives your ironwork a nice shine and protects it from rust.

Oil Spills

Beeswax microcapsules, developed by Petrol Rem, Inc., are used to clean up oil spills. These microcapsules allow oil but not water to soak into their shell, which contains microorganisms that release enzymes that digest the oil. Once finished, the capsules explode, releasing environmentally safe enzymes, carbon dioxide and water. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA and Marshall Space Flight Center assisted in designing the beeswax microcapsules.

References

• Uses for Beeswax
• NASA