Honeybee Nests Composition, Structure, Function

About this book

Honeybee Nests, a sequel to Honeybees and Wax published nearly 30 years ago, starts with a brief introduction and discussion of nesting sites, their spaces and densities, self-organization of nest contents, and interspecific utilization of beeswax. The following chapters cover communication by vibrations and scents and wax secretion, and discuss the queen in relation to the combs. Discussions on completed nests include the significance of brood, the roles of pollen and nectar flow, and comb-building, and are followed by a triad of related chapters on the construction of cells and combs and their energetic costs. An in-depth examination of the conversion of wax scales into combs, the material properties of scale and comb waxes, and the wax gland complex are presented. The next chapters are devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the literature on the chemistry and synthesis of beeswax, and, finally, the material properties of honeybee silk are highlighted.

Contents

1 General Introduction
2 Nesting: Sites, Space and Density in Comb-building
3 Self-organization of Nest Contents
4 Intraspecific and Interspecific Comb-building
5 Communication by Vibrations and Scents in Comb
6 Wax Secretion, Comb Construction and the Queen
7 The Significance of Brood
8 The Role of Pollen in Honeybee Colonies
9 Nectar Flows and Comb-building
10 Construction of Combs
11 Energetics of Honey/Beeswax Conversion
12 Construction of Cells
13 Conversion of Wax Scales into Comb Wax
14 Material Properties of Scale and Comb Wax
15 The Wax Gland Complex
16 The Chemistry of Beeswax
17 Synthesis of Beeswax
18 Material Properties of Honeybee Silk

Index

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