Hexagonal comb cells of honeybees are not produced via a liquid equilibrium process Daniel Bauer & Kaspar Bienefeld Naturwissenschaften (2013) 100:45–49 Pirk et al. (2004) suggested that bees heat up previously constructed cylindrical precursor cells, thereby forcing the wax on the cell surfaces into a liquid equilibrium. In this state, the arrays of closely packed cylinders tend to organise themselves into an energetically favoured hexagonal cell form. However, the results of the current study suggest that the geometry of the developing cells is generated by mechanical shaping and not by the self-organised process postulated by the liquid equilibrium hypothesis. Tautz (2008) stated that a wax temperature of 40 °C is necessary to initiate a liquid equilibrium state, but this wax temperature was never achieved during the cell-building process observed in the current study The hexagonal structure of a complete cell appeared to be determined at the beginning of its construction. The current study found no round precursor cells, except during the very early phase in the building of the cell foundations. After the upward construction of the walls commenced, the three bottom plates became rhomboid in shape and the cell took on a hexagonal form. Further evidence that the hexagonal cell form is built by mechanical shaping can be found in the nests of social wasps, which are made of cellulose so they lack thermoplasticity and need to be softened using saliva (Karsai and Pénzes 1993). *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html