Intricacies of Honeycomb Construction: Nature's Remarkable Engineering

Honey Bees

Almost everyone knows that honey is an essential food source for humans, but very few realize the extraordinary qualities of its producer, the honey bee. As we are aware, the food source for bees is nectar, which is not found during the winter. Therefore, bees mix the nectar they collect during the summer with a special secretion from their bodies. This mixture results in a new nutritious substance - honey - which they store for the upcoming winter.

It's fascinating to note that bees store much more honey than they actually need. The first question that arises is: why don't bees stop this excessive production, which seems to be a waste of time and energy? The answer to this question lies in the term "revelation" given to the bees, as mentioned in the verse above.

Bees produce honey not just for themselves, but also for humans. Like other creatures in nature, bees also dedicate themselves to serving humans; just like hens that lay at least one egg every day even when not needed, and cows that produce far more milk than their calves require.

Extraordinary Organization in Beehives

The life of bees in the hive and their honey production is truly astonishing. Without delving into excessive detail, let's observe the main characteristics of bees' "social life." Bees must carry out numerous "tasks," and they manage all of this with extraordinary organization.

Humidity and ventilation regulation: The hive's humidity, which gives honey its high-quality protection, must be maintained within specific limits. Above or below these limits, honey would spoil and lose its protective quality and nutrients. Similarly, the hive's temperature must be kept at 35°C for ten months of the year. To maintain the hive's temperature and humidity within specific limits, there is a specialized group responsible for ventilation.

On hot days, bees are seen regulating hive ventilation. The hive entrance is filled with bees. Clinging to the wooden structure, they fan the hive with their wings. In a standard hive, air entering from one side is pushed out from the other side. Other ventilation bees work inside the hive, pushing air into all corners of the hive.

This ventilation system is also beneficial for protecting the hive from smoke and air pollution.

Health system: Bees' efforts to maintain the quality of honey aren't limited to humidity and temperature regulation. Inside the hive, there is a perfect health maintenance system to control any events that might lead to bacterial growth. The main purpose of this system is to prevent foreign substances from entering the hive. For this purpose, two guards are always stationed at the hive entrance. If a foreign substance or insect enters the hive despite these preventive measures, all the bees react to expel it from the hive.

For larger foreign objects that can't be removed from the hive, another defense mechanism is used. Bees embalm the foreign object. They produce a substance called "propolis" (bee resin) for embalming. Bee resin is produced by adding a special secretion they release from their bodies to resin collected from trees like pine, hawthorn, and acacia. Bee resin is also used to seal cracks in the hive. After being applied to the crack, the resin dries when it reacts with the air, forming a hard surface. Thus, the hive can withstand external threats. Bees use this substance in almost all their work.

At this point, various questions arise in the mind. Propolis prevents any bacteria from living in it. This makes propolis ideal for embalming. How do bees know that this substance is ideal? How do bees produce a substance that can only be produced by humans in a laboratory and using technology, with an understanding of chemical science? How do they know that dead insects can lead to bacterial growth and that embalming will prevent this?

It's clear that bees have no knowledge of these matters, let alone a laboratory. Bees are just insects measuring 1-2 cm, and they do all of this based on what has been inspired by their Creator.

Maximizing Storage with Minimal Resources

The beehive constructed by bees can accommodate 80 thousand living and working bees, using only a small amount of beeswax.

The hive is made up of honeycomb walls built from beeswax, with hundreds of small cells on both sides. All honeycomb cells are precisely the same size. This engineering marvel is achieved through the collective efforts of thousands of bees. Bees use these cells to store food and nurture young bees.

For millions of years, bees have used hexagonal structures to build their hives. (A 100-million-year-old fossilized bee has been found.) It's astonishing that they chose the hexagonal structure, not octagonal or pentagonal. Mathematicians provide the reason: "the hexagonal structure is the geometric shape that maximizes the use of every unit area." If honeycomb cells were built with other shapes, there would be unused areas, resulting in less honey storage and fewer bees benefiting from it.

At the same depth, triangular or square cells can hold the same amount of honey as hexagonal cells. However, of all these geometrical shapes, hexagons have the shortest perimeter. Despite having the same volume, the amount of wax needed to build hexagonal cells is less than that needed for triangular or square cells.

In conclusion: hexagonal cells require the least amount of wax in their construction and store the most honey. Bees certainly wouldn't be able to calculate this, something only humans can do with intricate geometric calculations. These small creatures naturally use hexagonal shapes, solely because they are taught or "inspired" by their Creator.

The design of these hexagonal cells is highly practical in many ways. The cells fit snugly when arranged and share one wall together. Once again, this ensures maximum storage with minimal wax. Although somewhat thin, this cell wall is strong enough to support a weight several times greater than its own.

Beyond the side cell walls, bees also apply this principle of maximum efficiency when constructing the bottom edges.

The hive is constructed like a flat piece with two rows of cells facing each other. In this configuration, there's a challenge at the point where two cells meet. This problem is solved by building the bottom surface of the cell by combining three squares. When three cells are constructed on one side of the hive, the bottom surface of the cells on the other side is automatically formed.

As the bottom surface is composed of wax square plates, the bottom of the cells made this way becomes deeper. This means the cell's volume increases, and consequently, the amount of honey that can be stored increases as well.

Characteristics of Honeycomb

Another aspect considered when constructing honeycombs is the angle of the cells. By inclining the cells at 13° on both sides, bees prevent the cells from being parallel to the ground. This way, honey won't leak out of the cell mouths.

While working, honey bees hang onto each other in circles and clusters. By doing so, they generate the required temperature for wax production. Small sacs in their abdomen produce a transparent fluid, which flows out and solidifies into a thin layer of wax. Bees collect the wax using small hooks on their feet. They ingest the wax, chew and process it until it becomes soft enough, then mold it into cells. Several bees work together to maintain the required temperature for their workspace, keeping the wax soft and easy to shape.

There's one more interesting thing to note: the construction of honeycombs begins from the top of the comb and progresses downwards simultaneously in two or three separate rows. While the honeycomb segments develop in different directions, the bottom parts of the two rows fuse first. This process is executed remarkably harmoniously and meticulously. Therefore, it's difficult to comprehend that the honeycomb is actually composed of three separate sections. The honeycomb segments, constructed from various directions, are arranged so perfectly that despite having hundreds of different angles in their structure, the honeycomb appears as a uniform whole.

For this construction, bees must first calculate the distance between the starting point and the junction point. Then, they design the dimensions of the cell accordingly. How can thousands of bees perform such a complex calculation? This constantly amazes scientists.

It's truly irrational to think that bees have accomplished this task, which is nearly impossible for humans to achieve on their own. This involves an organization so intricate and detailed that it's impossible for them to do it on their own.

So, how did they achieve it? An evolutionist might explain that this event is achieved through "instinct." However, what "instinct" could influence thousands of bees simultaneously and make them perform a collective task? Even if each bee acted based on its individual "instinct," it wouldn't be enough. What they do must align with the instincts of other bees to achieve this astonishing result. Therefore, they must be guided by an "instinct" originating from a single, unique source. Considering that bees start building the comb from different angles, then merge their work without leaving any gaps, and construct all cells with the same size in a perfect hexagonal structure, it's evident that bees receive this instinctive message from the exact same source!

The term "instinct" used above is just a name, as mentioned in the Quran, Surah Yusuf, verse 40. There's no point in stubbornly using a "mere name" to conceal the truth that's already very clear. Bees are guided by a unique source, and therefore they successfully carry out their work—which they wouldn't be able to do without this guidance. It's not instinct—a meaningless term—that guides bees, but "revelation" as mentioned in Surah An-Nahl. This tiny creature follows a program specially ordained by The Most Forbearing.

"Determining Direction"

Bees usually need to fly long distances and explore large areas to find food. They collect flower pollen and honey-making materials within a distance of 800 meters from the hive. A bee that has found a flower flies back to its hive to inform other bees about the flower's location. How does this bee convey the flower's location to other bees in the hive?

Through dancing! The returning bee starts to dance. This dance serves as a means of expression, which they use to inform other bees about the flower's location. The repeated dance contains all the information about the angle, direction, distance, and other detailed information about the food source, allowing other bees to reach that place.

This dance takes the form of a figure "8" repeatedly performed by the bee. The bee forms the middle part of the figure "8" by waggling its abdomen and moving in a zigzag pattern. The angle between the zigzag movement and the sun-hive line precisely indicates the direction of the food source.

However, knowing just the direction of the food source isn't enough. Worker bees also need to "know" how far they have to travel to gather honey-making materials. So, the bee from the flower source communicates the distance of the pollen with specific body movements, by shaking its lower body and creating an airflow. For instance, to "explain" a distance of 250 meters, it waggles its lower body five times in half a minute. Consequently, the exact location of the food source can be elaborately described, both in terms of distance and direction.

There's a new challenge for bees that take a long time to fly to the food source. As a bee—which can only convey the food source direction based on the sun's position—returns to its hive, the sun shifts by 1° every 4 minutes. Eventually, the bee will make an error of 1° every 4 minutes of its journey, which it informs other bees about.

Strangely, this bee doesn't face this issue! A bee's eye is composed of hundreds of tiny hexagonal facets. Each lens focuses on a small area, much like a telescope. Bees that look toward the sun at certain times of the day can always determine their location while flying. The bee makes this calculation by utilizing changes in sunlight based on time. As a result, the bee accurately determines the direction of the target location without error, making corrections in the information it communicates within the hive as the sun moves forward.

"Flower Marking Method"

Honeybees can discern if a flower they encounter has already been visited and its nectar extracted by other bees, causing them to promptly leave it. In this way, they save time and energy. So, how does a bee know, without checking, that the nectar of a flower has been taken?

This happens because bees that visit a flower first mark it with a distinctive scented droplet. When a bee visits the same flower later, it smells the scent and knows that the flower has become useless, prompting it to move on to another flower. Consequently, bees don't waste time on the same flower.

"The Miracle of Honey"

Did you know that honey is an essential food source provided by The Most Forbearing to humans through these small insects?

Honey is composed of various sugar compounds such as glucose and fructose, as well as minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, chlorine, sulfur, iron, and phosphate. Honey also contains vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, and B3, with their composition varying based on the quality of nectar and pollen. Additionally, honey contains trace amounts of copper, iodine, zinc, and some hormones.

As stated in the Quran, honey is a "cure for humankind." This scientific fact was confirmed by scientists who attended the World Apiculture Conference held in China from September 20-26, 1993. The conference discussed treatments using concoctions derived from honey. American scientists stated that honey, royal jelly, pollen, and propolis can treat various diseases. A Romanian doctor mentioned that he used honey to treat cataract patients, and 2002 out of 2094 patients completely recovered. Polish doctors also shared in the conference that bee resin can aid in healing many diseases such as hemorrhoids, skin issues, gynecological problems, and various other ailments.

Currently, apiculture and bee products have opened new avenues of research in scientifically advanced countries. Other benefits of honey include:

1. Easy digestion: Honey's sugar molecules can transform into different sugars (e.g., fructose into glucose), making it easy to digest even for sensitive stomachs, despite its high acid content. Honey supports kidney and intestinal function.

2. Low calorie: Compared to an equal amount of sugar, honey has 40% fewer calories. Despite providing ample energy, honey doesn't contribute to weight gain.

3. Rapid diffusion through blood: When mixed with warm water, honey can diffuse into the bloodstream in seven minutes. Its free sugar molecules enhance brain function, as the brain is the largest consumer of sugar.

4. Blood formation assistance: Honey provides the energy needed for blood formation and aids blood cleansing. It positively affects blood circulation regulation. Honey also protects against capillary vessel issues and atherosclerosis.

5. Bactericidal properties: Honey's bactericidal quality is termed the "inhibition effect." Research on honey shows that this effect doubles when diluted with water. Intriguingly, newborn bees in colonies are fed diluted honey by caretaker bees—as if they know of this ability.

6. Royal jelly: Royal jelly is produced by worker bees inside the hive. This highly nutritious substance contains sugars, proteins, fats, and various vitamins. Royal jelly is used to address tissue deficiency or bodily weakness.

It's evident that honey, produced far beyond the bees' needs, is created for the benefit of humans. It's also clear that bees cannot perform such intricate tasks "on their own."