Honeycomb Explained for 7-Year-Olds: What Is a Honeycomb and How Do Bees Make It?

What is a Honeycomb?

A honeycomb is like a special house that bees build inside their beehive. It is made up of many tiny, connected boxes called cells. These cells look like lots of small, six-sided shapes called hexagons, which fit perfectly together without any gaps.

Why Do Bees Make Honeycombs?

Bees build honeycombs for a few important reasons:

• To store honey: Bees make honey from flower nectar and keep it in the cells for food, especially during winter when flowers are not blooming.
• To keep baby bees: Bees use some cells to hold their eggs and help baby bees (called larvae) grow safely.
• To organize their home: The honeycomb helps keep the hive tidy and strong.

How Do Bees Build the Honeycomb?

Worker bees make the honeycomb by creating wax from their bodies. They chew and shape the wax into the hexagon cells. The hexagon shape is very clever because it uses the least amount of wax to hold the most honey — saving energy and materials for the bees.

Fun Fact!

The honeycomb is a perfect example of nature's design, showing how bees work together to build an amazing, efficient home.