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)

Abstract

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.

The significance of Apis cerana cerana (Hymenoptera: Apidae) gnawing off the old brood cells

“…First, we measured the brood comb thickness (BC T ) (the depth of the cell on both sides of the comb, thickness of the wax foundation, and base of the cocoon (newly built cells have no cocoon) all contribute to the comb thickness) with a Vernier caliper (accuracy ± 0.02 mm) by randomly selecting 20 brood areas in each comb. Then, 90 brood cells were randomly selected from each comb to make cell molds (Yang et al 2021). Accordingly, the height and width of the cell mold were used as the cell depth (C D ) and cell diameter dimensions, respectively (see supplementary material Figure S2a).…”

The Composition of Heavy Metals in the Bees’ Tissues Depending From Ecological State of the Environment

“…В останніх важкі метали поводяться майже так само, як в організмі бджіл (Chibuike G. U. and Obiora S. C., 2014). Крім того, усі важкі метали пилку рослин у великих кількостях здатні знижувати міцність стінок бджолиних стільників (Yang S., 2021). Небажаною для організму личинок і дорослих бджіл є наявність в складі бджолиних стільників великої кількості важких металів, зокрема, токсичних Плюмбуму та Кадмію (Matin G. et al, 2016).…”

Impact of prolonged storage on quality assessment properties and constituents of honey: A systematic review

“…The honey usually originates from three main sources, such as the discharge of plant‐sucking bugs, the nectar of flora, and blossom secretion (Khan et al., 2018). Honeybees will collect and bring the substances from the mentioned sources into honeycombs (which are composed of numerous hexagonal prismatic wax cells) and transform them with the presence of naturally occurring enzymes of honeybees (Yang et al., 2021). Subsequently, the mixture will be deposited, dehydrated, and stored in the honeycomb till it ripens and matures to be harvested (Khan et al., 2018).…”