Is Beeswax Edible? Can you eat Beeswax?

Bees produce a wealth of natural products but honey is probably the most well known. What’s more, we’re all familiar with the idea that honey is 100% edible and it’s something that has been enjoyed by humans for thousands of years. But what about beeswax; Is beeswax edible?

Yes! Beeswax is completely safe to eat. In fact, it’s bursting with lots of vitamins and nutrients that are considered to be very good for your health.

In this article, I’ll be explaining why including beeswax in your diet is nothing but a good thing. Plus, it’s super tasty.

What Is Beeswax?

Beeswax is a naturally occurring product that is made by bees using honey. Bees eat honey and inside their bodies, the sugar within this is converted into wax.

Honey bees have eight glands on the top of their abdomens and it is from these that the wax is secreted. It comes out in little cubes but the bees add saliva to make it more malleable which is how they can form it into a honeycomb.

Honeycomb is the structure you see inside a beehive and it’s made up of hundreds of little cells. Inside these cells, the bees store excess honey, eggs, and larvae.

Do Bees Eat Beeswax?

Beeswax is mainly used inside the hive to make honeycomb and other structures such as cell caps. It is not considered to be part of the primary diet of the honey bee although bees have been seen chewing on it.

In fact, in some cases, beekeepers have reported that their bees have chewed through the wax so much that they’ve eaten through the entire hive.

However, the main part of a honey bee’s diet consists of, you guessed it, honey! They also feed on nectar from flowers and make other products like bee bread and royal jelly which bees eat at different stages during their lives.

What Are The Benefits Of Eating Beeswax For Humans?

Beeswax is a completely edible substance and you’ll often find it in jars of chunk honey. You are probably aware that honey is considered to be a superfood and beeswax is no different. In fact, there are lots of health benefits associated with eating beeswax and it goes far beyond this being a sweet and tasty treat.

Improve Your Heart Health

It’s so important to have a healthy heart but the modern lifestyle can take its toll on your cardiovascular system. However, since beeswax contains antioxidants and phenols, it’s reported to be excellent for your heart health.

This is because antioxidants have been linked to a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease. What’s more, they’re known to protect the body from cell damage.

Get A Better Night’s Sleep

I don’t know about you but I’ll do anything to get a good night’s sleep but it isn’t always easy. With stress and plenty of things to worry about, adults are not getting anywhere near as much quality sleep as they should but eating beeswax could be a way to solve this problem.

The reason for this is that beeswax contains natural sugars and when you eat it, this helps to balance out the sugar levels in your body which causes your insulin levels to rise. As a direct result of this, the brain releases a chemical called serotonin which is known to boost your mood and help with sleep.

Boost Your Immune System

As I mentioned earlier, beeswax is rich in antioxidants and it’s also packed with various vitamins and enzymes that are essential to a healthy immune system. What’s more, there is pollen in beeswax and it’s been proven that pollen can be used as a natural immune system booster.

Give Yourself An Energy Boost

Finding enough energy to get through the day often feels like an impossible task. Modern life places so many demands on us that it’s hard to keep up and by the end of the week, we’re all left feeling exhausted.

Eating a healthy and balanced diet is essential to having good energy levels and beeswax can be included in this. That’s because wax has a very high carb content which is a great way to give your body a natural energy boost.

How To Eat Beeswax

Eating beeswax doesn’t need to be difficult. In fact, you can take the honeycomb from inside the hive and bite straight into it. When you do this, you not only get the beautiful texture of the wax but you’re also treated to honey oozing out of the cells which is a beautiful sweet treat.

If you’ve ever wondered what beeswax is like in terms of texture then just imagine a piece of chewing gum. While the wax can be swallowed, a lot of people prefer to spit it out after they’ve enjoyed the honey.

Can Beeswax Be Dangerous To Humans?

Beeswax contains only natural ingredients so it’s generally not harmful. That said, there may be certain individuals who would be wise to give beeswax a wide berth as it may not be as beneficial to their health.

For example, if you have any kind of allergies to any of the products used to make beeswax then it’s probably not a good idea to chow down.

What’s more, anyone with a compromised immune system should not eat beeswax but it is worth speaking to your doctor for more advice.

Finally, it is not recommended to offer raw honey or other raw foods to babies before they reach 12 months of age. Again, different cases may vary so it’s vital to speak to your healthcare professional who will be able to provide you with more information.

Have Humans Always Eaten Beeswax?

Yes, they have!

In fact, for thousands of years, the only way to eat honey was to bite directly into the honeycomb (which is made from beeswax.) Back then, people didn’t have the extraction tools that modern beekeepers use so had to take a more natural approach.

There is a mention of honey (and other bee products) in various literature from over the centuries. It’s always talked about as being a luxurious and healthy source of food and it continues to be loved around the world today.

Final Thoughts

Have you ever wondered ‘Is beeswax edible?’ If you have, you’re not alone; this is a question I get asked a lot and the great news is that beeswax is 100% safe to eat.

This would have been how people ate honey thousands of years ago without the right tools to extract the honey like we do today.

Furthermore, beeswax is incredibly nutritious and comes with a whole host of health benefits.