The upward tilt of honeycomb cells increases the carrying capacity of the comb and is not to prevent the outflow of honey

Oeder, R.; Schwabe, D.

doi:10.1007/s13592-020-00807-9

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…4 mm 11 . Comb cells are built at an average angle of 13 degrees from an interface where the basal sides of two cells meet 12 , and it has been proposed that this angle helps better retain honey within the cell interiors. Honey bees build parallel sheets of cells in this fashion, with an average center-to-center spacing of ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computational methods for the characterization of Apis mellifera comb architecture

et al. 2022

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The architecture of honey bee combs embodies a range of expressions associated with swarm intelligence, emergent behaviors, and social organization, which has drawn scientists to study them as a model of collective construction processes. Until recently, however, the development of models to characterize comb-building behavior has relied heavily on laborious manual observations and measurements. The use of high-throughput multi-scale analyses to investigate the geometric features of Apis mellifera comb therefore has the potential to vastly expand our understanding of comb-building processes. Inspired by this potential, here we explore connections between geometry and behavior by utilizing computational methods for the detailed examination of hives constructed within environments designed to observe how natural building rule sets respond to environmental perturbations. Using combs reconstructed from X-ray micro-computed tomography source data, we introduce a set of tools to analyze geometry and material distributions from these scans, spanning from individual cells to whole-hive-level length scales. Our results reveal relationships between cell geometry and comb morphology, enable the generalization of prior research on build direction, demonstrate the viability of our methods for isolating specific features of comb architecture, and illustrate how these results may be employed to investigate hive-level behaviors related to build-order and material distributions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computational methods for the characterization of Apis mellifera comb architecture

et al. 2022

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“…Several works of literature have recorded that the cells incline upward to prevent honey from leaking out of the cells ( Frisch 1969 , Gallo and Chittka 2018 , Wahyudi 2018 ). However, the research results of Oeder and Schwabe (2020) showed that the benefit for the upward tilt of the cells for the bees was not to prevent leakage of honey, nor was it a necessary condition for breeding bees, but to direct about 10% of the weight of cell contents onto the mid wall, thus increasing the carrying capacity of the comb. In this study, we found that the natural comb cells of A. c. cerana could be upward tilted or downward tilted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we found that the natural comb cells of A. c. cerana could be upward tilted or downward tilted. However, even though the cells were tilted downwards, the honey, royal jelly, and larvae in the cells will not fall out of the cells because of the adhesive forces between the honey and the cell wall, the small diameter of the cell, and the surface tension of the honey ( Guo et al 2015 , Oeder and Schwabe 2020 ). The capillary forces resulting from the combination of these factors prevent the honey from flowing out because of the negative pressure at the bottom of the cell.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have shown that oligoMRJP1 in complex with apisimin acts as a structural protein, ensuring that the viscosity of royal jelly is such that the queen larvae are retained in position in their vertically oriented cells to complete their development ( Buttstedt et al 2018 , Pirk 2018 ). Although studies have shown that the direction of cell inclination is controlled by gravity ( Martin and Lindauer 1966 , Vandenberg et al 1985 , Oeder and Schwabe 2020 ), the specific mechanism is still unclear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating and Comparing the Natural Cell Structure and Dimensions of Honey Bee Comb Cells of Chinese Bee, Apis cerana cerana (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Italian Bee, Apis mellifera ligustica (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Yang

Deng

Kuang

et al. 2021

Journal of Insect Science

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The hexagonal structure of the honey bee comb cell has been the source of many studies attempting to understand its structure and function. In the storage area of the comb, only honey is stored and no brood is reared. We predicted that honey bees may construct different hexagonal cells for brood rearing and honey storage. We used quantitative analyses to evaluate the structure and function of the natural comb cell in the Chinese bee, Apis cerana cerana and the Italian bee, A. mellifera ligustica. We made cell molds using a crystal glue solution and measured the structure and inclination of cells. We found that the comb cells of A. c. cerana had both upward-sloping and downward-sloping cells; while the A. m. ligustica cells all tilted upwards. Interestingly, the cells did not conform to the regular hexagonal prism structure and showed irregular diameter sizes. In both species, comb cells also were differentiated into worker, drone and honey cells, differing in their diameter and depth. This study revealed unique differences in the structure and function of comb cells and showed that honey bees design their cells with precise engineering to increase storage capacity, and to create adequate growing room for their brood.

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“…Honeycombs are used by bees to store supplies and rear their brood (Oeder & Schwabe, 2021). The honeycomb cells are filled by the bees one by one from top to bottom.…”

Section: Characteristics Of the Honeycombmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances and opportunities related to the use of bee products in food processing

Kieliszek

Piwowarek

Kot

et al. 2023

Food Science & Nutrition

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One of the oldest examples of the existence of beekeeping is the murals from the Araña Cave in Spain, which show people collecting honey from the nest of untamed bees. In ancient times, honey was used as a medicine and also to embalm corpses. During Greek feasts, it was an indispensable part of the menu. However, the greatest boom in beekeeping took place in ancient Rome, where hives made of straw and clay were found, dating back to 900 B.C. (Kritsky, 2017). The Egyptians placed a vessel filled with a "golden drink" in the tombs of the pharaohs, which showed that it was indeed considered something special. In the beginning, people discovered that honey collected by bees can be found in the hollows of trees. They climbed these trees, taking the honey from the bees-the result of their hard work. Then, they started to breed bees, building their nests in the hollows of old trees, the so-called beehives. Shortly thereafter, they noticed that you can only relocate the part of the tree to the field where the hollow is located, and then you will not have to climb to ensure you have constant access to this valuable product. Over time, people, thinking

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The upward tilt of honeycomb cells increases the carrying capacity of the comb and is not to prevent the outflow of honey

Cited by 9 publications

References 18 publications

Computational methods for the characterization of Apis mellifera comb architecture

Computational methods for the characterization of Apis mellifera comb architecture

Evaluating and Comparing the Natural Cell Structure and Dimensions of Honey Bee Comb Cells of Chinese Bee, Apis cerana cerana (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Italian Bee, Apis mellifera ligustica (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Recent advances and opportunities related to the use of bee products in food processing

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