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Bees make honeycombs from wax. These structures perform various functions in the hive, each of which is necessary for the normal functioning of insects. In shape they resemble hexagons, the dimensions of which depend on the size of the individuals living in them.
What functions do cells perform?
In the life of a bee colony, honeycombs perform a number of important functions. Typically, they are used for the following purposes:
- honey storage;
- accommodation;
- breeding and maintaining offspring.
All of these functions play a significant role in the life of insects. In beekeeping, families are provided with a building, which they later equip. In the wild, individuals do not have this opportunity, as a result of which all the time is spent on construction, which does not allow the full production of honey.
Honey is stored in the upper cells; the hive below is much freer - there is collected pollen and flower nectar, enriched with special bee acids and enzymes.
How bees build honeycombs
Since ancient times, honeycombs made by insects have been considered the standard of architectural construction.This is due to the fact that in a small area individuals can erect structures that are as durable, functional and efficient as possible. For construction, only wax is used, which in a softened state can take on any geometric shape, including a hexagon - this is exactly the shape that insects give to the cells. Honeycombs made by bees have certain characteristics and purposes, and therefore differ in a number of ways.
Varieties depending on purpose
Honeycombs built in a wax hive differ in purpose. If we consider by type, the following types are distinguished:
- bees – standard hexagonal honeycombs, which are later used by insects in the process of life for storing honey, bee bread, and breeding offspring (working individuals). There are the most cells of this type, since working individuals occupy the first place in terms of quantity. For 1 sq. cm there are 4 cells 10–11 mm deep. At the moment when the brood is open, the depth increases to 24–25 mm. When brood is raised, the space becomes much smaller as empty cocoons are left behind. If there is not enough space, then walls can be added. As a rule, northern bees have much larger cells than southern bees;
- drones – in addition to honeycombs, drone cells are also erected in the hive. The difference from the previous type is the depth of 15 mm. In this case, per 1 sq. cm there is a maximum of 3 cells. Bees store only honey in such honeycombs; they do not leave bee bread;
- transitional - located in those places where the transition of bees to drones takes place. Such cells have no special purpose; they are used to fill free space.Honeycombs of this type can have any geometric shape, in most cases it is irregular. The size is medium, they are not used for raising offspring, but in some cases bees can store honey in them;
- queen cells – take up the most space in the hive and are intended for raising queen bees. Such cells are erected when bees are preparing to swarm or if the queen bee has been lost. Queen cells can be swarming and fistulous. The swarmers are located on the edges of the honeycomb, eggs are laid in the first cells of the uterus, then the queen cell is built as needed.
The wax in the honeycomb plays a huge role. This material is used for the construction of cells of various configurations and purposes.
Honeycomb sizes
The honeycombs have the following dimensions:
- width – 5–6 mm;
- depth – 10–13 mm.
In the upper part of the frame the cells are much thicker compared to the lower ones. The dimensions largely depend on how large the hive is provided by the beekeeper and the size of the individuals themselves. As a rule, the standard size of a hive frame is 43.5*30 cm.
Empty honeycombs, recently rebuilt, are white. The cells that insects use to live begin to darken over time. Gradually the shade becomes light brown, after which it darkens even more. This is due to the fact that during living, waste products accumulate in the cells.
Where do bees get honeycomb wax?
Bee families not only collect honey, but also set up their hive. Bees use their own honeycomb wax.If you examine the individual in detail, you can see that there are 4 pairs of glands on the abdomen, thanks to which the product necessary for construction is secreted.
The surface of these glands is smooth, with thin waxy stripes formed on it. It is worth noting that 100 such wax plates weigh about 25 mg, so for 1 kg of wax it is necessary for bees to produce 4 million such plates.
To remove wax strips from the abdominal area, individuals use special tweezers located on the forelimbs. After removing them, they begin to soften the wax with their jaws. After the wax has become soft, cells are built from it. About 130 wax plates are used to build each cell.
How bees make honeycombs from wax
In early spring, after the bees have gained enough strength after wintering, the insects begin the construction process. It is during this period that special glands begin to function, responding to the production of a sufficient amount of wax.
For construction, wax is used exclusively, due to the fact that this building material has a number of properties:
- plasticity. In its soft state, the wax can be given any shape, which is very convenient when carrying out construction work;
- hardness. After hardening, the shape of the cells is not deformed;
- increased strength and durability;
- resistance to external factors;
- antibacterial properties allow you to protect the hive and its inhabitants from many diseases.
The first step is to build the bottom and only after that proceed to the construction of walls. The construction of honeycombs begins from the very top, slowly moving towards the bottom. The size of the cells depends entirely on what type of bees lives in the hive.
Insect productivity is limited; bees produce a certain amount of wax every 2 hours. The individual with its front paws brings flakes of wax to the upper jaw, which, upon contact with a special substance produced by the bee, begin to be processed. Thus, the wax is crushed and softened, after which it can be used for construction.
The optimal temperature for the construction of honeycombs is +35°C. When maintaining a given temperature, the wax is compressed and takes any shape.
New wax honeycombs are built over the old ones, after which the bees collect honey in them and seal them. Insects do this work every year.
How do bees seal honeycombs with honey?
After the construction work has come to an end, the insects begin collecting honey, which is placed in cells. Throughout the entire season, individuals work tirelessly to fully provide themselves with food for the winter. The most crucial moment is the process of sealing the cells where the honey is located.
As a rule, the honeycomb is filled with honey to a quarter, the rest of the space is reserved for raising offspring. Before you start clogging the cells, it is necessary that the humidity level in the hive decreases to 20%. To do this, bees create artificial ventilation - they begin to actively flap their wings.
For sealing, zabrus is used - a substance consisting of pollen, wax, propolis and beebread. In addition, it contains many vitamins, micro- and macroelements, and essential oils.
What do wild bees make honeycombs from?
Wild individuals differ from domestic ones in that they live not in specially prepared hives, but in nests. As a rule, in the wild, insects live in tree hollows or cracks. The main building materials are leaves, branches and grass.
In the nests of wild insects there are honeycombs that have a hexagonal shape. For construction, they use a waxy liquid that they secrete on their own. Before the onset of winter, they begin to cover all existing holes with propolis. For wintering, they use the lower part of the nest, where there are no honeycombs and where it is warmest. At the center of the family is the queen of the hive. Insects constantly move, thereby not only warming themselves, but also preventing the queen from freezing.
Conclusion
Bees make honeycombs in the form of regular hexagonal cells. Honeycombs are used not only for collecting and storing honey, but also for raising offspring and personal residence. There are several types of honeycombs in hives, each of which performs a specific function and bee colonies cannot do without them. The construction process of wild and domestic bees is identical. Domestic insects collect much more honey than their wild counterparts due to the fact that beekeepers provide them with ready-made hives, and in natural conditions families have to find and arrange a place for wintering on their own.
