The conversion of wax scales into comb wax by African honeybees

The Combs of Honeybees as Composite Materials

“…Whole cell wall and cell wall silk samples were mounted on shims of polyester as previously described (K URSTJENS et al, 1985). The intact comb samples were held for testing in solid wooden grips patterned in female form to accommodate the male test specimens.…”

“…In addition to crystal structure, white comb wax is also affected by the presence of a protein fraction (K URSTJENS et al, 1985). This material is present, quite apart from silk, in both wax scales and in newly constructed combs.…”

Physical properties of honeybee silk: a review

“…In addition to crystal structure, white comb wax is also affected by the presence of a protein fraction (Kurstjens et al 1985(Kurstjens et al , 1990). This material is present, quite apart from silk, in both wax scales and in newly constructed combs.…”

“…Thus, much of the honeybee nest gradually changes from a single phase (wax) to a composite (wax/ silk) material. Some of the material properties of the individual phases of the honeybee nest have previously been characterized (Hepburn 1986;Hepburn et al 1979;Hepburn and Kurstjens 1988;Kurstjens et al 1985Kurstjens et al , 1990, but particularly important recent studies on the molecular structure of honeybee silk (Sutherland et al 2006 et seq.) necessitate a review on the composition and properties of honeybee ά-helical silk ( Figure 1), the elastic element in combs of all honeybee species.…”

“…composite (Hepburn and Kurstjens 1988;Zhang et al 2010a). The physical significance of these observations can be illustrated by comparing the properties of the native fibroin, wax-free sheets of silk, silk-free wax, propolis and the final wax-silk composite (Kurstjens et al 1985).…”