Bjt. Calorimetric investigations around a royal hieroglyph

Abstract

Honeybees (“bjt”) and their products honey and wax played an important role in Ancient Egypt. The bee became the symbol of the Pharaoh of Lower Egypt and a royal hieroglyph. Honey and wax were used for many purposes in daily life, as votive offering or as salary. Microcalorimetric experiments on bees of various ages or occupations and different castes as well as social effects among them are presented. Calorimetric curves are investigated for temporal structures indicating locomotor activities of the animals. Moreover, adult animals of the domesticated “usual” European honey bee Apis mellifera carnica are compared with those of the (modern) Egyptian bee Apis mellifera lamarckii. Differential scanning calorimetry and combustion bomb calorimetry have been applied to pollen, to honeys of various origins (lime-tree, pine, rape) or of intended purposes (royal jelly, hoarded food), to propolis and to different types of beeswax (comb wax from various places in the stock, wax from uncapping, wax for queen cells and commercial waxes).