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Mon, 12 Oct 2020 08:47:18 -0400 |
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> "They would have to produce temperatures close to the melting point in
order
> to accomplish flow of the wax. The cells would collapse at this
temperature."
> (OEDER and SCHWABE 2017)
> Let sleeping dogs lie.
Let's not beat a dead horse by quoting opinions that are easily found to be
false by any beekeeper with some wax and a hair dryer. I find the lack of
physical knowledge in the above deeply disturbing.
Of course wax can become very pliable at temperatures well below "melting".
The "flow of wax" starts when the bee extrudes wax from a gland... somehow
the wax does not "melt" and drip away when extruded, so it is very
reasonable that it would also not melt and drip away at other points in the
process when warm and pliable.
The quote above is from the same fellows who could not work out a "reason"
for a "slant", which pre-supposes that the bees are deliberate builders of
mathematically precise structures, asking:
> "The inclination of all cells, which are not directly near
> the ceiling, is always observed in the combs of
> Apis mellifera . We therefore assume that the
> upward inclination has a meaning. We showed
> that the purpose is not to prevent the leakage
> of honey and that it is also not a requirement
> for rearing the brood. Then, what is the point?"
NB: The "point" that they seek is that this is simply how the cells fit
together when they achieve this simple physical equilibrium, which is easily
understood by applying Plateau's Laws.
Now, beekeepers can choose between two alternative "beliefs" here:
a) We can understand that thin-films made from beeswax, warmed by the bees,
act in a matter identical to soap films and bubbles, following the same laws
of physics as soap films do.
b) We can pretend that bees somehow deliberately build EXACTLY THE SAME
THING, without any tools save their own body parts, and that physical forces
are not at work here. What an amazing coincidence!
The truth is fascinating enough, we do not have to invent magical abilities
for bees that defy logic and rational thought itself..
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