The effect of fatty acids on the mechanical properties of beeswax. Values represent means and standard errors for beeswax with the free fatty acids removed, unmodified beeswax, and beeswax with added stearic acid. Four mechanical properties were examined: yield stress (A), stress at the proportional limit (B), stiffness (C) and resilience (D). N = 6 samples for each column. Matching letters above columns indicate no significant difference between the columns; differing letters indicate a significant difference.