Why is a beehive shaped like a hexagon

But the hexagon is the strongest, most useful shape. Cobey explained that humans have recently used math to find out why hexagons make the most sense. It takes the bees quite a bit of work to make the honeycomb. Honeybees have to make and eat about two tablespoons of honey to make one ounce of wax. Then they can add this wax to the comb as they build. A bee colony can produce pounds of honey, Cobey said. In some places they can even produce to lbs. The structure is important to hold all this weight and protect the honey, especially during winter.

The hexagon might just save bees some time and energy. They can use the energy to do another really important job: carry pollen from flower to flower that allows new plants to grow. This question of why bees use hexagons instead of other shapes, caught the attention of a Roman scholar over years ago, in 36BC.

The scholar, whose name was Marcus Terentius Varro, proposed that hexagons hold more honey than other shapes because they break up flat space into little units more economically, using less wax whilst doing so. In other words, hexagon honeycombs hold the most amount of honey while using the least amount of wax. Then, in , an American Scientist at the University of Michigan called Thomas Hales, investigated, and produced mathematical proof that Varro was right.

If you are scientifically and mathematically minded, you can take a look at the scientific paper. It's no secret that the efficiency of the hexagon shaped honeycomb created by the humble but amazing honey bee has inspired humans in the creation of buildings, transportation and storage.

However, the hexagon structure of the honeycomb is also used in mechanical and chemical engineering, biomedicine and nanofabrication which is used in computing, medical and aerospace industries.

Honeycomb structure has even been designed into snowboards! Wacky Fact! Did You Know? Male honey bees drones have no father, but they do have a grandfather!

Does that sound impossible? This shrinkage produces more and more pressure, and eventually, cracks form. But not all lava cools at exactly the same time, and some areas may still be flowing while others have solidified, which can make shapes more imperfect.

Hexagonal structures allow water molecules with their one atom of oxygen and two of hydrogen to group up together in the most efficient way. In fact, if we zoom in, snowflakes are far from the only crystals to have a hexagonal structure. As any chemistry student will be quick to point out, hexagons are the basis of organic chemistry.

When six carbon atoms bond, the angle is degrees — which should already be familiar by now. The six bonded carbon atoms form a perfect hexagon also called a benzene ring. So why is it that hexagons tend to show up so often in nature? Well, it depends how you look at it. It can be simply something owed to its geometry.

Inevitably, nature is not always exact. Nature tends to dislike very fixed things — but it likes patterns and sometimes it likes hexagons. Perhaps, by knowing and being aware of this, we can enjoy these hexagons even more when we come across them. Andrei's background is in geophysics, and he's been fascinated by it ever since he was a child.

Feeling that there is a gap between scientists and the general audience, he started ZME Science -- and the results are what you see today. Home Other Feature Post. The hexagon shape and why it shows up so much in nature The hexagon is surprisingly present in many parts of nature. September 18, Reading Time: 9 mins read.