Nature is an expert in building new and incredible landscapes. Whether through its plants or its animals, all around us we can observe structures or patterns created by nature and its beings. And, among all these manifestations of resilient engineering, bees and their honeycombs stand out.
Never static and always tied to work, bees are by far the most valuable pollinators on the planet. But between the moments of capturing pollen and pollinating flowers or crops, these light flying insects create captivating symmetrical honeycombs.
As if the great magic they do with food were not enough, bees build honeycombs worthy of any house of architects. Without mathematical calculations, previous designs or rigorously selected materials, the honeycombs of the bees are the proof of the most exquisite and precise construction work.
According to a study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface A mathematical pattern was found that could explain how stingless bees build their combs in perfect proportion, but this is just a theory.
It is clear that worker bees add cells at each end of each layer of the comb. But it’s still not clear enough how these insects create complex patterns. «The combs of T. Carbonaria They present surprising patterns that can be spirals, double spirals, or in the shape of a target”adds Bruno Escribano, study researcher.
Chemical signals between bees was also a possibility that jumped up in the research. However, so far there is no evidence that something in the mind of bees connects to create beautiful natural works of art. So how do bees build perfect combs?
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Bees, honeycombs and zero plans
By carefully examining the structures of some honeycombs and the order of construction, the researchers found something revealing. The reality is that when building there are no plans, more than a natural intuition. Each bee obtains information from its immediate environment and, without much anticipation, begins to create a pattern..
However, experts say that the size of the bee and the variability in the cells of the honeycomb are elements that determine the structures. This means that stingless bees don’t need a blueprint or plans to start building a honeycomb. With minimal information about the environment, each one can make a contribution.
But it’s really not just about animal instinct. The mentioned study indicates that there is evidence that the construction of the honeycombs also requires intelligence. This means that the bees are capable of solving occasional problems during the construction of the comb.
The flexibility of their instinct allows them to act intelligently, not arbitrarily.. Although no prior planning is required, there are behaviors that allow spontaneity when building to work.
It is about responsibility and creativity at the same time. This is known in the scientific world as stigmergy, that is, simple actions of several individuals that give rise to complex phenomena. In a nutshell, the beehives are the result of an emerging individual creativity that accumulates without a specific plan, but with a very well-anchored sense of community work.
Keep reading: Look at these bees sleeping on the flowers (a peaceful doze between petals)
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