A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal wax cells built by honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen. I don’t know what it is about the honeycomb that makes me smile. Maybe it is its perfectness. Charles Darwin himself once wrote, the honeycomb is a masterpiece of engineering. It is “absolutely perfect in economizing labor and wax.”
Fresh, new honeycomb is sold and used intact as comb honey, especially if the honey is being spread on bread rather than used in cooking or as a sweetener. I remember while growing up my mom would often buy jars of honey with wax in it. I would often make sandwiches with honey and I was allowed to break off bits of the honeycomb and spread that in with the honey. I seem to recall being allowed to eat the honeycomb on its own as well though I can not say for sure whether I did or not. My memory is a bit fuzzy. According to Savannah Bee Company eating honeycomb is good for you. Their website says, “The wax cells of honeycomb are not only edible, but very beneficial. Honeycomb wax contains even more of the allergy-alleviating properties that honey is well-known for. To reduce allergies, enjoy a daily regime of eating 1 tablespoon of raw honeycomb with fruit or on toast. Swallow the comb, or chew like chewing gum for 20 minutes and spit out.”
Beekeepers may remove the entire honeycomb to harvest honey. Honey bees consume about 8.4 lbs (4 kg) of honey to secrete 1 lb (500 g) of wax, so it makes economic sense to return the wax to the hive after harvesting the honey. This procedure is commonly called “pulling honey” or “robbing the bees” by beekeepers.
I also remember they had a bee hive outside of Knott’s Berry Farm at Knott’s Berry Place where you could watch the bees working in the honeycomb in the visible bee hive. It was a wooden and glass frame with the honeycomb inside with a long tube the bees could use for access while staying away from guests and as I recall, if you could find the queen bee you would get a free chicken dinner or some such thing. Does anyone here remember that?
But why do the bees choose the hexagon shape? Physicist Alan Lightman says, “There are only three geometrical figures with equal sides that can fit together on a flat surface without leaving gaps: equilateral triangles, squares and hexagons.” In 1999 a mathematician at the University of Michigan, Thomas Hales, produced a mathematical proof that the hexagonal structure is indeed the most compact. Bees are so smart!
I still like the honeycomb inside the honey though I have not gotten it for many years. It is a rather costly luxury indeed. Regardless, when I wander the super market aisles and see the honey with the honeycomb inside, it always makes me smile.
Have you ever eaten the honeycomb? Do you now or have you ever raised bees? Click here to leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.
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