What is Honeycomb?
Honeycomb is one of nature’s most interesting creations – and it is made by bees! These beautiful wax structures form the framework of the hive’s interior and fulfill critical roles in colony survival. But, what exactly is honeycomb, how do bees create it and why is it so valuable to both bees and humans. This article explores the secrets behind beehive honeycomb.
One of the most wonderful aspects of being a beekeeper is that I get to experience things inside a beehive. This is a unique experience that not everyone gets. As the years go by, I learn more and more.
Why a Honey Bee Colony Needs Comb
Worker honey bees are female members of the colony that work together to create sheets of comb. The chemical composition of beeswax can vary a bit. However, it is mainly esters (71%), hydrocarbons (15%), fatty acids (6%).
Each sheet has thousands of wax cells. These cells are the foundation of the hive and provide structure and functionality.
Structure of Honeycomb
Honey bees are known for efficient resource use. Naturally, they make use of every square inch of space inside their home. Using the rule of bee space, comb will be built to fill the interior cavity of the hive.
Most cells in a sheet of honeycomb will be built in a 6 sided hexagon shape. There are several advantages to bees building hexagon cells.
Less building material is used as there are no wasted corners. This meets the colony the highest number of cells in a given space. And the structure is stronger too.
Uses of Honeycomb in the Beehive
A sheet of comb can be thought of as an apartment building. The individual wax cells are like individual apartments. What do the bees do with all this space?
- storing resources
- raising brood
- structural support & communication
Resource Storage (Honey & Pollen)
One of the major functions of honeycomb is storage of resources – primarily food (honey and pollen). Honey bees make honey from plant nectar and store it in the hive until it is needed. On average, a colony stores an average of 60-70 pounds of honey for Winter.
Beekeepers can harvest the excess honey crop (not needed by the colony for Winter). Done in this manner, taking honey from bees is not a bad thing.
If you see comb cells with a rainbow of color- that is pollen. Bees need pollen as a protein source for raising young.
The color of pollen varies from one plant source to another. Fresh pollen is converted into bee bread and stored until needed.
Brood Rearing
Individual honey bees do not live very long. During the warm season, developing baby bees are always in production.
The cells that contain brood – eggs, bee larvae and capped brood is called the brood nest region. In this section of honeycomb, nurse bees are constantly busy feeding and caring for young.
Structure and Communication
The most basic part of any honey bee colony-honeycomb is life. More than just a storage structure, sheets of honeycomb enable the colony to communicate and exist as a cohesive unit.
The comb surface serves as a dance floor. Worker bees dance on the comb surface to announce new food sources. There are also bee pheromones on the comb that serves as important signals in bee communication.
Even empty honeycomb serves a purpose. During cold weather, the bees cluster close together in a mass to sustain life. Some bees are inside empty cells and others clustered nearby.
The shared heat of all the bees helps to ensure colony survival until the weather warms. So, having some empty honeycomb cells is a good thing.
How do Bees Make Honeycomb?
When the colony needs new comb, workers engorge themselves on honey causing their wax glands (located on the underside of the abdomen) to produce scales of wax (small slivers).
As beeswax is produced, workers hang in long chains. This is called bees festooning activity and is believed to aid in comb construction.
Using her legs and mouth parts the bee shapes and forms the honeycomb sheets. Younger adults are the best wax producers but older honey bees can make beeswax too.
Producing wax is a tough job and requires a high consumption of food by the worker bees producing wax. Only well fed colonies are good comb builders.
Cells of Different Sizes
If you look closely at a piece of comb, you will notice some variation in sizes. Food cells and brood cells can vary in diameter. Also, cells intended for raising drone bees are a bit larger than that for a worker bee.
Of course, any queen cells are different. Because the queen honey bee is so much longer than workers, the cell must be constructed down the face of the comb surface.
In a world with a lot of conformity, you will also find variety inside your hive. Some types of honey bees build larger cells than others-even for food storage.
Valued by Humans and Bees
Bees are not the only ones who value honeycomb. This special substance has antibacterial properties and antimicrobial properties.
When harvested from the hive, honeycomb contains: honey, pollen, bee propolis and some royal jelly produced by worker bees.
Some people enjoy eating honeycomb which can be presented in a variety of ways. Roughage is good for us and the minerals and vitamins in the raw honey is nutritious.
Comb also contains long chain fatty acids and alcohols that may boost human health. So feel free to enjoy a piece of raw honeycomb (in moderation) if you get the chance.
Fresh newly constructed honeycomb is snow white. But, the color of beeswax darkens over time. With a high plasticity and low melting temperature, it is a favorite of many crafters who find thousands of uses for beeswax.
FAQs
Worker bees secrete wax scales from special glands. Using their mouth parts and legs, they share the fresh wax into roughly 6 sided shapes that make up the sheet of honeycomb.
Honeycomb is critical to bee culture because it provides not only the physical structure of the nest but also serves as a storage facility, nursery for young and aid in colony communication.
Is honeycomb edible? Yes. When you eat honey with beeswax comb, you are eating raw beeswax and raw honey. However, humans are not capable of digesting beeswax. It passes through the body as roughage.
If you store that raw honeycomb properly, it will last for a very long time – just like regular honey. It is also good to use as a spread on toast, bagels or biscuits.
The most common way beekeepers harvest honeycomb is to save the beeswax that is left over during the normal honey harvest.
Final Thoughts
Honeycomb is a remarkable creation that serves as the foundation of the beehive. From storing food to raising young and maintaining hive organization, honeycomb plays an essential role in the survival of honey bee colonies. We humans appreciate honeycomb too! Aren’t honey bees marvelous?