Biological Strategy
Honeycomb Structure Is Space-Efficient andStrong
Bees and wasps
Andy Carstens
Image: Vivek Doshi / Unsplash / Free non-commercial use
Optimize Shape/Materials
Resources are limited and the simple act of retaining them requires resources, especially energy. Living systems must constantly balance the value of resources obtained with the costs of resources expended; failure to do so can result in death or prevent reproduction. Living systems therefore optimize, rather than maximize, resource use. Optimizing shape ultimately optimizes materials and energy. An example of such optimization can be seen in the dolphin’s body shape. It’s streamlined to reduce drag in the water due to an optimal ratio of length to diameter, as well as features on its surface that lie flat, reducing turbulence.
Preventing Melting
Melting often occurs as a result of exposure to high heat or a change in pressure. Higher pressure causes ice to melt faster, while deep below the Earth’s surface, solid mantle melts as it rises to regions of lower pressure. Many organisms have found ways to manage these forces, helping prevent structural failure.
Manage Compression
When a living system is under compression, there is a force pushing on it, like a chair with a person sitting on it. When evenly applied to all sides of a living system, compression results in decreased volume. When applied on two sides, it results in deformation, such as when pushing on two sides of a balloon. This deformation can be temporary or permanent. Because living systems must retain their most efficient form, they must ensure that any deformation is temporary. Managing compression also provides an opportunity to lessen the effects of other forces. Living systems have strategies to help prevent compression or recover from it, while maintaining function. For example, African elephant adults weigh from 4,700 to 6,048 kilograms. Because they must hold all of that weight on their four feet, the tissues of their feet have features that enable compression to absorb and distribute forces.
Store Liquids
Many living systems must store liquids, such as water or nectar, so that it is available over long periods of time, including when moisture levels are low. Because of their properties, liquids tend to disperse unless they are confined in some way. Each liquid has its own unique properties. For example, water is polar, exhibiting a strong negative charge on one side of the molecule and a strong positive charge on the other. Living systems have strategies to confine fluids by taking advantage of these properties. A good example of taking advantage of water’s polarity is using materials that repel water. In doing so, a living system can keep water on one side of a barrier, such as a membrane.
- Animals
- Arthropods
- Insects
- Bees and wasps
Insects
Class Insecta (“an insect”): Flies, ants, beetles, co*ckroaches, fleas, dragonflies
Insects are the most abundant arthropods—they make up 90% of the animals in the phylum. They’re found everywhere on earth except the deep ocean, and scientists estimate there are millions of insects not yet described. Most live on land, but many live in freshwater or saltwater marshes for part of their life cycles. Insects have three distinct body sections: a head, which has specialized mouthparts, a thorax, which has jointed legs, and an abdomen. They have well-developed nervous and sensory systems, and are the only invertebrate that can fly, thanks to their lightweight exoskeletons and small size.
Bees and wasps build space-efficient and strong nests using hexagonalcells.
Introduction
The question of why honey bees adapted to building their nests from hexagonal cells has been debated for centuries. In On the Origin of Species, Darwin theorized that natural selection led to “an economy of wax.” Being frugal with wax is wise work for a honey bee given they need to consume approximately eight pounds of honey to produce one pound of wax.
But it took mathematicians studying the hexagon shape to make a beeline to the truth. Around 36 B.C., a scholar by the name of Marcus Terentius Varro first wrote about this particular math problem, later dubbed the “the honeycomb conjecture.” In 1999, Thomas Hales mathematically proved that convex hexagons organized in a grid minimize total perimeter area as compared to any other tessellated shape.
Birth of aBee
Hexagons in beehives aren’t just for aesthetics, and they aren’t just for honey storage. Each hexagonal cell is a potential cradle and food supply for a larva to develop in, as seen here. The way human beekeepers get bee-free cells is by preventing the egg-laying queen from being able to reach certain areas of the hive.
The first 21 days of a bees life condensed into 60 seconds. Filmed by Anand Varma at the Harry Laidlaw Honeybee Research Facility at UC Davis with the help of Billy Synk. Music by Rob Moose (@mooseofrob)
The Strategy
In a 2019 interview, Thomas Hales—the mathematician who finally proved the conjecture—said that ultimately, “A hexagonal honeycomb is the way to fit the most area with the least perimeter.” From a bee’s perspective, that means storing more honey in a larger volume while spending less energy building a structure to contain it. In other words, Darwin was right.
And space-efficiency isn’t the only benefit of building with hexagons. Stacked together, hexagons fill spans in an offset arrangement with six short walls around each “tube,” giving structures a high compression strength. Beehives also dissipate heat well, preventing the waxy structure from melting on hot days. Though few species of wasps store honey, they too build nests using hexagonal cells, taking advantage of these same benefits. Efficiency, strength, and controlled heat loss are all important for human structures as well, so it’s no wonder that honeycombs inspire human design.
Image: Johannes Fuchs / Copyright © - All rights reserved
A hexagon with the same perimeter as a triangle contains morearea.
Image: Johannes Fuchs / Copyright © - All rights reserved
Hexagons are the highest-sided polygons that tessellate, or fit together. Comparing tessellated triangles and hexagons with the same area illustrates that hexagonal honeycombs minimize the material needed, making them space-efficient.
He must be a dull man who can examine the exquisite structure of a comb, so beautifully adapted to its end, without enthusiastic admiration.
Charles Darwin
The Potential
Scientists and engineers have incorporated hexagonal designs into seemingly endless applications, including light-weight building materials, flexible panels for bridge construction, sound absorption, light diffusion, design, magnetic shielding, tissue engineering, and even building better surfboards.
“He must be a dull man who can examine the exquisite structure of a comb, so beautifully adapted to its end, without enthusiastic admiration,” wrote Darwin. As we examine these structures more than a century and a half later, we’re still finding new things to admire and .
Image: Meggyn Pomerleau / Public Domain - No restrictions
Now that we know why honeybees build hexagons, how do they engineer such precise shapes? Check out "body heat melts wax" in the related content below to find out.
Image: portukcan / CC BY NC ND - Creative Commons Attribution + Noncommercial + NoDerivatives
Honeycombs maximize the volume of honey that can be stored with the least amount of construction material.
Image: Steve Knight / CC BY NC - Creative Commons Attribution + Noncommercial
Hornets also build nests out of honeycombs.
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Last Updated November 11, 2020
References
“Through thousands of years of exploration, we have gone beyond the traditional awareness of the exceptionally high mechanical strength as the only characteristic of honeycomb structures, and have gradually deepened our understanding of multifunctional design principles for honeycomb structures.”
Journal article
Bioinspired engineering of honeycomb structure – Using nature to inspire human innovation
Progress in Materials Science |Qiancheng Zhang, Xiaohu Yang, Peng Li, Guoyou Huang, Shangsheng Feng, Cheng Shen, Bin Han, Xiaohui Zhang, Feng Jin, Feng Xu, Tian JianLu
Reference
“In part because of the isoperimetric property of the honeycomb, there is a vast literature through the centuries mentioning the bee as a geometer. . . During the 18th century, the mathematical architecture of the honeycomb was viewed as evidence of a great teleological tendency of the universe.”
