Main description:

This work, 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