What is a wax sheet and how is it used?

In beekeeping, the use of wax sheets is very important: let's find out why

Novice beekeepers or people outside the sector tend to think that the wax in the frames is produced entirely by bees, in reality this is not the case.

When the frames are inserted into the hives, they are also equipped with waxy sheets or special sheets made of beeswax.

The use of the wax sheet is very important for the correct management of hives . By continuing to read the article, you will understand why it is so important to use wax sheets in beekeeping , what they are used for specifically and how they are built.

Bees and the construction of hexagonal cells

We all know that bees build hives using a structure made up of hexagonal cells . Bees independently produce the wax to form their home. So, if bees can build cells on their own, why are you using wax sheets ?

The waxy sheets are real sheets that have many small pressed cells inside. The cells are built in exactly the same shape as the natural ones.

The sheet serves to facilitate the beekeeper in managing the hives. Using this method, bees follow the size and shape of the sheet as a guide and build their home to fit those spaces. It is a bit as if the honeycombs started from a pre-formed base .

If beekeepers did not use wax sheets, bees could build the hive in an impractical way, for example under the lid of hives or by creating complicated structures. The beekeeper must be able to carry out control operations without difficulty.

When the bees stabilize following the structure of the sheets, the beekeepers can take the frames , carry out the honey extraction or any other operation, without damaging the bees or the cells.

Why are bee cells shaped like a hexagon?

Bees build hexagonal cells since the hexagon is the most suitable shape for optimizing spaces. More precisely, bees begin to build cells in a circular fashion. Then when the little circles they built are joined together, the common sides merge and create the classic six-sided shape that we all know.

Bees begin to build cells in a circular shape since the sphere is the geometric shape that allows you to have more space but at the same time, to use as few resources as possible. By building the cells in this way, the bees are able to use the minimum amount of wax necessary, thus obtaining the maximum amount of space available.

Less effort translated into more results. All cells have the same shape and are used to store honey and to house the developing larvae.

Only in the case of queen bees , bees build cells differently. The real cells in fact have a dome shape and are much larger.

How do you create a wax sheet?

The wax sheets can be self-produced or purchased from third parties. In case you need to buy them, always rely on serious suppliers who offer a quality product, natural and free of substances harmful to bees.

In the case of self-production, the wax sheets are created using the wax available in your apiary. Once the wax has been taken, it is processed using special machines that give it its shape and then imprint the shape of the hexagonal cells.

How did the use of wax sheets come about?

Man began to "tame" bees in very ancient times. In the past, however, when the right equipment for beekeeping did not exist, the only solution to obtain honey was to kill the bees.

Beekeepers belonging to the Enlightenment then began to create a series of innovative solutions that have undergone continuous improvements over the years. Precisely, the waxy sheet was born in Germany in the mid-nineteenth century.

Today, we have every means available to avoid harming or even worse killing our beloved bees.

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