Mr. Ben, good afternoon.
One pound of wax is created from five pounds of honey. Wax is very expensive from a bees point of view. The 5:1 ratio of honey to wax is figured from a molecule scale, 5 or 6 carbon atoms {I forget exact}for fructose, glucose and approx 25 carbon atoms for wax.
So in a dearth, a hive will not likely produce wax. In spring with lots of food, bees are more inclined to make wax. If memory serves me correctly the bees producing wax must be less than 15 days post hatch.
Some say feed the bees 1:1 sugar syrup for wax production and 2:1 for brood. I have heard this many times but,,,,, not proven.
Swarms contain many young bees as wax production is critical.
OK, ask Santa for drones and wax. Hawahawa lol