Bees Build in Hexagons Because They Waste Nothing
A hive is a bee colony's home. The shape of its cells solves a geometric problem exactly.
A hive is a structure housing a bee colony. The hexagonal comb is the best possible answer to a real problem: of all shapes that tile a plane without gaps, the hexagon encloses the most area for the least perimeter, so bees use the least wax. This was conjectured in antiquity and only proved mathematically in 1999. *A hive of activity* dates from the 1600s, and *hive off* means to separate part of an organisation, from bees swarming.
- A bee colony's home. *A beehive.*
- A busy place. *A hive of activity.*
- To separate off. *Hive off the division.*
- Hexagonal comb. *Honeycomb.*
- Old English — *hyf*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | hive | A hive. |
| Plural | hives | Hives. |
| Verb | hive | Hiving off. |
| Compound | beehive | A beehive. |
| Old English | hyf | A hive. |
- The hive was thriving.Bees.
- The office was a hive of activity.Idiom.
- The unit was hived off.Business.
The honeycomb conjecture
- Only three regular shapes tile a plane: triangle, square and hexagon
- The hexagon encloses the most area for the least perimeter
- So hexagonal cells use the least wax
- Pappus of Alexandria stated the idea in the fourth century
- Thomas Hales proved it in 1999
Old English *hyf*, of Germanic origin, possibly from a root meaning to cover.
Why are honeycomb cells hexagonal?
Because the hexagon encloses the most area for the least perimeter of any shape that tiles without gaps, so it uses the least wax.
When was that proved?
In 1999, by Thomas Hales, though the idea had been suggested in antiquity.