| Structure of combs |
The nest of a honeybee is made of combs of several sheets. The nest of A.florea and A.dorsata is made of a single sheet comb. A.mellifera and A.cerana (Japanese honeybee) make nests which consist of two or more combs within a closed space.
As shown in the figure, also in A.mellifera and A.cerana, honey is stored in the upper part of the comb, and in the bottom of the comb the worker bees grow the brood nests. Pollen can be stored between the honey storage area of the nest and the brood nest area. A new queen is grown in a queen cell that is made in the lower part of a comb. In a textbook it has been written that drone nests are located at the end of a comb.
The nest of a Japanese honeybee which was made in the narrow space within a tomb, had a drone nest at the top of comb. Where bees have nested under a roof, or under a building floor, and where they have a large nest building space, drone nests can be made at both ends of a comb as shown in the figure. Whether to bear drones or workers? It is an interesting phenomenon.
A typical Western honeybee (A.mellifera) nest Japanese honeybee (A. cerana) comb from a grave The next figure shows the structure of a nest which consists of seven combs and was made in an attic (in the figure the entrance is to the right side.). I think that either side of the comb would have the same structure. Honey was stored in the upper part of the comb and it was covered. Drone nests were found at areas 1, and 2, and in the combs of the 6th or 7th sheet .The pollen region was seen around the brood nest. Queen nest was made on the lower part of the combs and was found in 14 places in this nest.
A nest in an attic・・・・・ ●honey storage
●brood nest
●drone comb
●pollen storage