Comb construction, Usage, and Utility#
1 . How do worker bees respond to the environment of their new home after swarming?
By the time they reach their new home, they have wax flakes coming out of their glands.
Rapid comb construction is paramount to their survival In swarming colonies, most of the comb that will be needed is completed within 45 days.
Wax flakes are removed from the ventral glands by the hind legs and passed forward to the front legs and mandibles where they are mixed with saliva and kneaded to the proper plasticity.
2 . In the construction of a new comb, what is the most efficient and strongest design?
Hexagonal for individual cells
3 . A typical colony has how many cells in their total amount of comb?
100,000 All worker cells are uniform in diameter (5.2 mm in diameter)
4 . What architectural design do worker bees use to construct comb?
Precision in construction is extreme!
They build comb horizontally rather than vertically
The cells are inclined upward 13 degrees
Worker bees use hair plates at the base of their necks as a plumb bob- this tells the bee which direction is up (they work in the dark)
Cell wall thickness is roughly 0.073 mm.
They use their antennae to tell the thickness of the walls
The angle between walls is exactly 120 degrees
Bee space is 3/8 inch
5 . Why do worker bees make larger drone cells at the edge of the comb?
Drones are expendable. If it gets cold and there are not sufficient bees to keep the entire brood warm, the drone larva lose out.
6 . Why do the worker bees make multiple queen cups (10-20 at a time) in a queenright colony?
So that if the queen is ever lost, they can immediately begin making a new queen without waiting to make a new queen cell/cup
7 . How do bees arrange the resources on the comb?
Brood in the middle
Pollen around the brood for nourishment of the brood
Honey around the edges
Honey is also used at attachment points of the comb for strength and for insulation in cold weather
8 . What happens to honey bee comb over time?
Wax comb tends to be permanent and darkens with age. The cells also get smaller with time due to debris and residual cocoons from previous hatches.
9 . What are some of the other important uses of comb for the colony?
Substrate (platform) for dancing
Combs also transmit vibrations in the waggle dance
Degree of comb occupancy for honey or pollen and brood acts as a feedback loop for foragers to bring in more of what is needed by the colony
Comb sequesters brood pheromone which helps nurse bees orient to larvae
Comb also sequesters pheromones which provide cues for cell capping, cell repairs, odor signature, (individual colony odor) nectar storage and queen cell construction.