Uncovering the sweet science behind the making of a bee hive
Bees are known for their exceptional team skills and ability to build complex structures, such as honeycombs, which collectively form a bee hive. A honeycomb is not just a simple structure but a marvel of engineering designed to protect the colony staying inside. It also provides an optimal environment for the queen bee and her offspring. A honeycomb is made of many tiny cells that appear hexagonal in shape. From the careful selection of materials to the intricate geometric patterns, the process of hive building is a testament to the remarkable abilities of these tiny insects. But have you ever looked at a honeycomb and wondered why it has hexagonal-shaped cells? And how do they build such a large and complex house? Let’s find out!
Building a honeycomb
Honey may be a staple ingredient in many kitchens, but it’s not just produced for human consumption. In fact, honey is essential for bees to survive the winter months when nectar and pollen are unavailable. When bees can’t search for food, honey serves as their winter reserve, providing nourishment. To ensure this, bees build an intricate honeycomb. But where do they build their nests? Their safe haven could be anywhere from wooden structures to rock crevices to the undersides of roofs. Apiarists (beekeepers) often provide bees with man-made structures, such as straw, pottery or wooden structures, for them to build hives. After finding a suitable location, bees will begin building their honeycomb from the top down. Let's look closely at the process!
Teamwork in building a honeycomb
The process starts with worker bees collecting nectar from various plants and transferring it to the hive, where the nectar is evaporated to form honey. Using the sugar from the honey, bees then produce wax using specialised glands on the underside of their abdomen. Then, they use the wax to make cells of a honeycomb. And when the process is complete, you see a giant beehive!
The entire colony of bees works together to regulate temperature and make the wax soft enough to mould. You’d be surprised to know that it takes eight ounces of honey to produce just one ounce of wax! And around 1 million flowers must be pollinated to produce that much honey!
Another exciting aspect of this process is the waggle dance. Bees communicate the best sources of nectar through a waggle dance, thus ensuring that honeycomb-making doesn’t stop. The finished product is a marvel of engineering and can support up to 30 times a bee’s weight. And bees use this honeycomb to store honey, pollen, larva cells and to rest inn their free time.
Honeycomb cells: Are they hexagonal or circular?
When you look closely at the structure of a honeycomb, you will find tiny cells. To most people, the shape appears hexagonal, but for some, it may seem circular. The debate about the shape of the cells has puzzled scientists since the 4th century AD!
Some people believed that bees made these cells hexagonal to store most food while using the least amount of wax in their construction. Others contended that these cells were circular at first. The cells turned hexagonal as a result of each bee trying to make the cell as large as possible. So they pressed the edges of each cell up against the next creating a hexagonal shape.
Finally, scientists stepped in and found that the newest cells were round, and the older cells were hexagonal. They concluded that the over time, the heat from the worker bees melted the wax and turned the circular cells into hexagons. However, they are still unsure if this is done on purpose or if it occurs naturally.
Fun fact
Now that you know everything about honeycomb building, here is a fun fact for you! Did you know bees measure the depth of each cell by crawling in and determining the width of the comb walls? They also seem to know when to change the angle of the cells, so the honey won’t fall out. Don’t you think that is smart? Although we still do not have conclusive results, we sure know that bees may have more influence over the shape of their hive than we think!