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 about bees (even ifthese reference are out of date.)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 form or unpublished manuscripts?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? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Keith Murray * Don't worry about people stealing St.Mary's Academy * an idea. If it's original, you 550 Wellington cres. * will have to ram it down their Winnipeg, Manitoba * throats. -H. Aiken ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~