Hi friends! Welcome to our show! Today, we're talking about... buzzy, buzzy bees! And the amazing, magical stuff they make. I'm Chloe!

And I'm Caprina! Bzzz! Hello, little friends! Today we're learning about something super cool called beeswax!

Beeswax! Is that... wax made by bees?

It sure is! It's the bees' very own building blocks.

Where do they get it, Caprina? Do they buy it at the toy store?

No, they don't buy it! They make it! Bees have tiny, special pockets on their tummies. They make little flakes of wax right out of their own bodies!

On their tummies? That's so silly! What do they do with it?

They use it to build their homes! They build tiny little rooms called honeycombs. It's where the baby bees sleep, and where they keep their yummy, sweet honey!

Ooh, honey! Yum! Is the honeycomb strong?

Oh, it's so strong! Just one tiny little honeycomb room—smaller than your little fingernail—can hold forty times its own weight in honey! That's like a little toddler lifting a big car!

Wow! No way! How do they build it so strong?

They make the rooms in a special shape called a hexagon! That's a shape with six sides. It's one of nature's best designs because it uses the tiniest bit of wax to make the strongest home ever.

Six sides! Let's count them! One, two, three, four, five, six! Super strong!

Yes! And making that wax is super hard work. To make just one little block of wax, the bees have to eat a giant belly full of honey. They have to eat eight cups of honey to make just one cup of wax!

Eight cups of honey?! That's a lot of eating! My tummy would be so full!

Mine too! But because it's made from honey, beeswax is completely natural and safe. It's so safe you can even eat it!

Eat it? Really?

Well, we don't eat big chunks of it, but it's why we use it in lip balms to keep our lips soft and shiny. It's totally safe for your skin!

Oh! I use lip balm!

See? You've already used beeswax! And guess what else? Beeswax is used to make crayons!

Crayons? The ones we color with?

Yes! And it's used in shiny polishes, waterproof coatings to keep things dry, and even some medicines.

Wow, bees are busy helpers! And beeswax smells so good, doesn't it?

It smells just like sweet honey! A long, long time ago, before we had light bulbs, people used beeswax to make candles so they could see in the dark.

Did everyone have them?

No, they were very fancy! Only kings and queens and wealthy people could buy them because they were so special. In fact, a long time ago, beeswax was so valuable that some people paid their taxes with beeswax instead of money!

"Here is your wax, Mr. King!" That is so funny.

It is! And beeswax candles are still the best. They burn for a super long time, and when they burn, they actually clean the air! They release little magic helpers that clean up all the dust.

Magic air cleaners! I love that. What else can we do with beeswax, Caprina?

Well, modern surfers rub it on their surfboards so their feet don't slip off when they ride the big waves! Splash!

Whoosh! Stay on the board, surfer!

And musicians rub it on violin bows to help them make beautiful, sweet music.

La-la-la! Bees are just amazing! They make honey, they build strong homes, and they give us wax for crayons, candles, and surfboards!

They really are nature's little helpers. So next time you see a bee, say, "Thank you, busy bee!"

Thank you, bees! And thank you, Caprina! Bye-bye, friends! See you next time!

Bye! Bzzz!