Worker bees secrete wax scales from abdominal glands, chew them soft, and add them cell-by-cell outward from a founder point. The hexagon is the mechanically optimal tiling — minimum wax perimeter for maximum cell volume — and forms naturally as adjacent cylindrical cells are pressed together while the wax is warm and pliable.
perimeter_per_area(hexagon) < perimeter_per_area(circle packing)
build_rate ~ n_builders * f(T_wax) [wax pliable ~33-36 C]
zone(cell) = brood | honey | pollen (by radial position)
- Wax temperature — hive core temperature; wax is workable only in a narrow ~33-36°C band, so build speed peaks there and drops off outside it.
- Builder bee count — number of wax-secreting workers actively adding cells; more builders raise the construction rate.
- Brood ratio — fraction of new cells reserved near the centre for brood rearing vs. outer honey/pollen storage rings.
- Growth speed — overall simulation time multiplier for how fast the comb expands outward.
Real combs settle into three concentric zones: a warm brood nest at the core, a surrounding pollen "belt", and honey storage cells toward the edges and top — visible here by cell colour as the structure grows.