News Math

How geometry solves architectural problems for bees and wasps

What were once thought of as nest flaws are the solution to combining hexagons of different sizes

A photo of several bees sitting on top of a honey comb structure.

The nests of honeybees (one shown) consist of mostly hexagonal cells made from wax, but pairs of five-and seven-sided cells help fit together hexagons of different sizes.

Todd Huffman/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

By Darren Incorvaia

Honeybees and yellow jackets don’t look much like mathematicians — for one thing, they’re smaller. But collectively, the insects can solve a common architectural conundrum using a geometric solution that they evolved independently of each other.