Each layer of cells has a specialized purpose.The uppermost cells store honey, followed by pollen-storage cells.The bottom layers are designated for infant-rearing.Just beneath the pollen cells are brood cells where larvae become worker bees, and off to the side are cells housing drone bee larvae.Last, but certainly not least, special cells are set aside to shelter infant queen bees.A typical nest has about 100,000 cells with a total surface area of about twenty-seven square feet.Most of the cells are used to store the more than forty pounds of honey required to feed a bee colony during the winter.They may not win any awards, but bees are clearly some of nature's most accomplished architects.
