Evrim Yazgin
Cosmos science journalist
Scientists have examined how honeybees build symmetrical nests, relating the process to how mirrored patterns emerge in biology such as human faces and bodies.
Many multicellular organisms possess an outward appearance which is symmetrical. Some are very obviously asymmetrical. Of course, this symmetry is not perfect – in fact if you look at a perfectly symmetrical face, you might find it a bit odd.
But the essential mechanism of mirroring features on left and right sides is real – and it seems similar mechanisms are behind symmetry in bee nests.
“Symmetry is visible in many organisms at several levels, from the molecular to the full body, but this is the first work to show architectural symmetry at this superorganism level,” says Colette St. Mary, a program director in the US National Science Foundation which supported the research. “Identifying properties or behaviours that cut across biological scales like this helps elucidate the rules of life.”
The research is published in Current Biology.
We have long known about the mathematically meticulous methods bees use to create their combs. The near-perfect hexagons made out of wax are the most optimal way of creating a strong structure which can hold the most amount of precious honey.
But it seems the nests themselves are formed symmetrically too. And it has major benefits.
For example, two-sided nests grow more quickly, rear more brood and have a more stable thermal environment than asymmetrical nests.
“Akin to the location of plumbing in the construction of an apartment building, which often results in mirrored kitchens or bathrooms across apartments, bees originate their colonies based on a heat source, and thermal cues drive colony organisation,” says corresponding author Michael L. Smith, an assistant professor at Auburn University in the US. “Heat cues direct where the nest is initiated and where the queen begins laying eggs, but the entire nest is symmetrical, including their pollen and honey stores.”
The researchers found the behaviour in several species of honeybee, all from the Apis genus. They suggest symmetrical nest building evolved 50–60 million years ago.
