- made of beeswax
- made of hexagonal cells that slope slightly upwards towards the open ends
- theory on why it's hexagonal: uses the least material to create most amount of volume
- ends of the cells are trihedral (they have 3 planes) sections of a rhombic dodecahedra with the angle between the planes measuring 120 degrees; this angle minimizes surface area for a given volume
- Euclid, the ancient Greek geometrician, also found that the hexagonal shape increased efficiency
- when different sized cells are made (drones have bigger cells than workers), the shape can bee distorted
- bees use the comb to store honey, larvae, pollen...it's their home!
- the first man-made honeycomb was mentioned by Homer and thought to bee made 3000 years ago out of GOLD by Daedalus, a Greek craftsman and artisan
- 2000 years ago, the Chinese started making paper honeycomb decorations
- Galileo studied structures of hollow solids, such as bird bones, honeycombs, and stems in plants, and found that they're very light yet resistant to bending and breaking
“The comb of the hive-bee, as far as we can see, is absolutely perfect in economizing labour and wax.”-Charles Darwin
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