Main image via Tim Heard
Nature is truly strange and wonderful at the same time. These spiral hives are a great example of being exactly that.
Image via Tim Heard
Time Heard, an Australian-based entomologist, has been studying and documenting the Australian stingless sugarbag honey bees for more than 30 years.
The most incredible aspect of these small stingless bees (tetragonula carbonaria) are the unique hives they build.
Image via Tim Heard
Their hives are unlike those of the other bee species. They have an intricate, clockwise spiralling design that has only one entrance. The hives are also coated with a pathogen blocking sticky layer as an extra line of defense for the bees which don’t have a sting.
Image via bobthebeeman.com.au
According to Heard, the shape is most likely created to protect the integrity of the hive’s core. Other scientists suggest that the shape could also be creating better conditions for air circulation within the hive.
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