The wax of honeybees (Apis mellifera) is composed primarily of n-hydrocarbons, alcohols, esters, and free fatty acids, which play an important role as pheromones in honeybee nestmate recognition. I examined the role of these fatty acids in the structural properties of beeswax. Samples of wax were collected and randomly separated into treatment and control groups. In the lab, fatty acids were removed from the treatment group via soxhlet extraction. Samples were analyzed with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to investigate differences in melting curves between treatment and control groups. Samples molded into identical right circular cylinders were then compressed in an electromechanical tester. Melting curves of untreated wax did not differ from those of the treatment group. Treated wax was significantly less resilient, less stiff, and began to deform under less stress than untreated wax. I conclude that the free fatty acids found in beeswax have an important structural role in wax in addition to their previously demonstrated behavioral function.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Apidae Apis mellifera (honey bee)
Keywords: wax
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