The Structure of a Bee Hive!
The highest degree of nest construction among insects is found in bees. The architecture of the nest is unsurpassed and unparalleled in the animal kingdom. The hive and comb of the bees are formed mainly by workers. A comb is a vertical sheet of wax, composed of a double layer of hexagonal cells projecting in both directions from central wax-sheet.
Comb hangs vertically downward, while cells are horizontal in position. The hexagonal shape of cells accumulates maximum space in minimum use of wax and labour. The wax used in building of a comb is secreted from the wax glands present in the abdomen of worker bees. This wax has the highest melting point i.e., 140° F. Before use, the wax is masticated and mixed with secretions of the cephalic glands to convert into a plastic substance.
The resinous substance called “propolis”, prepared from pollen, is used in making the comb water—proof, and it also helps in filling the cracks and crevices in the hive.
The cells of the comb are of various types. The “Storage cells”, which contains honey and pollen are generally built on the margin and at the top of the comb. The “brood cells”, which contains the young stages, are built in the centre and the lower part of the comb. Brood chamber is further divided into three types, namely Worker-chamber, where developing workers are reared; Drone-chamber, where developing drones are reared and the Queen-chamber, which is larger than other and where the larvae developing into queens are reared. There is no special chamber for adults. They move on the surface of the comb.