Beeswax (Cera alba) is a natural
wax produced by
honey bees of the genus
Apis. The wax is formed into "scales" by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments 4 through 7 of
worker bees, who discard it in or at the hive. The hive workers collect and use it for comb structural stability, to form cells for honey-storage and larval and pupal comfort and protection within the
bee hive. Chemically, beeswax consists mainly of
esters of
fatty acids and various
long-chain alcohols.