An official in the Office of Price Administration has made a study of the part that beeswax, honey production’s by-product, is playing in the war effort. He reports a list of approximately 350 uses, from munitions to medicines, by the Army and Navy, adding that in the pharmaceutical field alone there are approximately 150 uses. The Navy has recently asked for bids on 60,950 pounds of pure beeswax and it is reported that the Navy may use 500,000 pounds of beeswax annually. Army and Navy combined use will be at least 1,000,000 pounds. Medical and pharmaceutical uses will need some 1,000,000 pounds more. Lately we heard of a request by the Ordnance Department for 172,500 pounds of pure beeswax. Ordnance is probably included in 1,000,000 Army and Navy use.

Of vital interest to beekeepers is the present beeswax situation. The British Purchasing Office has an agreement with government officials in this country to purchase all of the African beeswax which formerly was imported by United States importers. This amounted to about 1,000,000 pounds of beeswax annually. The real shortage of ships to bring this wax to this country is also a very vital factor. Brazilian beeswax is not coming to this country at the present time. When Brazil broke off diplomatic relationships with Germany and ships began to be sunk on Atlantic trade routes, the government of Brazil, who owns all of their cargo ships, called these ships into port and it is reported that they are going to stay there until convoy arrangements can be made. At the present time these arrangements have not been made. Brazil exported to this country 1,500,000 pounds of crude beeswax annually.

Now let’s do a little arithmetic. Add the 1,000,000 pounds of African beeswax to the 1,500,000 pounds of Brazilian beeswax. Then add to this the 1,000,000 pounds of beeswax which the Army and Navy are going to need plus the 1,000,000 pounds of beeswax for medicines and pharmaceuticals for the Army and Navy. We now have a total of 4,500,000 pounds of beeswax which is either not coming to this country or is going into new use.

Formerly United States industries were supplied by a total of approximately 9,000,000 pounds of beeswax. Of this total United States beekeepers produce an estimated 4,000,000 pounds while during the last few years around 5,000,000 pounds were imported. If we subtract from the 9,000,000 pounds of beeswax which industries formerly used the 4,500000 pounds of beeswax not available we are startled and alarmed by the result. It is very probable that there is only going to be half the beeswax available to industries that there formerly was.

The ARMY and NAVY need beeswax and their needs must and will come first. You now have a definite task to perform which will help win the war. That task is to produce more beeswax. That task is to save every bit of beeswax you produce. We do not hesitate to predict that United States beekeepers can produce a million pounds of beeswax more than their estimated production of 4,000, 000 pounds by fulfilling this task.—Cale, G.H. 1942. “Beeswax Needed in the War Effort.” American Bee Journal 82(6): 247-248.

Comment: The output was raised to 6 million pounds of domestic product. Also, some of the uses were classified as top secret.

PLB

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