On Wed, 30 Aug 1995, Kevin Roddy wrote:
 
> Hello all--
>
> A professor at the university asked me to forward this request to you.
> I'm a reference librarian, and beekeeper myself in Puna, on the Island of
> Hawai'i.
>
> Kevin--
>
>
> I am looking for *documented references* to books, periodicals
> or research reports which give answers to the following question:
>
>
>       What makes the cells of honeybee combs hexagonal?
>
>
>       I'm not especially interested in unreferenced opinions
> unless they're from apiculturists (bee people).  I have plenty of
> unreferenced opinions of my own.  But I would welcome opinions from
> apiculturalists, or information they may have found when reading
> about bees (even ifthese reference are out of date.)
>
>       The two main theories are 1) Geometry: bees try to make
> cylindrical cells, but close-packing forces the cells into
> hexagonal shapes, and 2) Instinct: that bees have a specific
> instinct to build hexagons when cells are near each other.
> (Single queen cells are cylindrical.)
>
>       Buffon argued for geometry in the 1750s, Lord Brougham for
> instinct in the 1830s, D'Arcy Thompson for geometry in 1913, and
> von Frisch for instinct in 1974.
>
>       Does anyone know of further references or for scholars who are
> currently or have recently examined this problem (either in published
> form or unpublished manuscripts?
>
> You may send mail directly to me at the e-mail address below.
>
> Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.
>
> Ron Amundson
> Univ. of Hawaii at Hilo
> Hilo, HI  96720
> [log in to unmask]
>
Sometimes it is instuctive to look at the negative.  What other shapes
could they reasonably make?
 
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Keith Murray                    *       Don't worry about people stealing
St.Mary's Academy               *       an idea.  If it's original, you
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