According to my 1979 edition of The Hive and The Honey Bee, wax is secreted
by wax glands possessed by 12 to 18 day old worker bees.  It comes off in
small flakes or scales from the last four abdominal segements on the
underside of the bee.  They have to consume a fair amount of honey, and the
temperature must be between 33 and 36 degrees C for the whole process to
work.  The guys building the comb gorge themselves with honey and hang in
sheets at the building site. (I've seen that in an observation hive, and
never knew what they were about.)  After 24 hours of hanging around, they
begin to build.  They pick off their own wax secretions, and chew them,
adding some madibular gland secretions.  Like kneading bread, I suppose, it
eventually becomes smooth and dense, and is then added to the comb
structure.  The book says it takes about 4 minutes to deal with one flake.
Lots of time and honey are consumed to produce the beautiful comb we take
for granted!
 
If the post-1979 editions say something else or in addition, please jump in.
 
I'll work on honey next.  Stay tuned.
Guy F. Miller
2025 Spottswood Rd.
Charlottesville, VA 22903
(804) 296-0090