- The strong hexagonal structures are efficient and have many different uses, from storing honey to serving as a nursery for baby bees
Why are honeycombs shaped like hexagons instead of circles or squares?
Can you think of any other building materials that are as strong as the honeycomb?
Why are honeycombs shaped like hexagons instead of circles or squares?
Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
Honeybees help plants reproduce by carrying pollen between flowers. They are also excellent builders. They craft honeycombs, which are the building blocks for a hive. Each honeycomb consists of thousands of six-sided hexagonal cells made from beeswax.
Honeycombs are very strong structures and have different uses (see graphic).
Honeycomb construction is an amazing process. Worker bees eat honey and produce sticky, yellow beeswax from special glands in their abdomens.
Because producing beeswax is hard work, honeybees do not want to waste any of their resources. This means they need to use the least amount of wax to construct honeycomb cells that can hold as much honey as possible.
Hexagons are perfect for honeycombs because they fit together without gaps. Compared to other shapes, the hexagon uses the least wax to create a wall around each honeycomb cell.
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Can you think of any other building materials that are as strong as the honeycomb?