If the honeycomb was made of repeating cylindrical chambers there would be a lot of gaps between each one, a lot of wasted space. In fact the bees really only have three shapes to choose from.

Bees don't do math — hexagonal honeycombs emerge naturally Honeycomb cells start off as circles within the first few seconds of formation (a) and then eventually morph into hexagons (b). B.L ...

Sweet structure For thousands of years, thinkers have marvelled at the feat of engineering that is the honeycomb. Each waxy cell is a perfect hexagon, its six wafer-thin sides providing not only ...

Nature is efficient, resource-conscious, and self-sustaining. The designs and processes developed have been tested over millions of years and proven in diverse environments. For e ...

While the structures were made with centimetre-sized unit cells, ... Hexagonal honeycomb patterns often appear in nature, where strength, rigidity and lightness are called for. The shells of ...

Here's how to go about it: Use a warm (not hot) cheese or paring knife to cut the honeycomb into the desired pieces, suggests Anderson. Begin at the outer edge and cut inward, creating small squares ...

While the honeycomb in the picture is real, the bees didn't build it freely, the beekeeper who originally took the picture in 2013 told USA TODAY. USA TODAY reached out to the poster for comment.