Secret of the honeycomb hex

Bees walking on a honeycomb ... scientists believe the perfect hexagons actually start out as circles and heat generated by a specific type of worker bee causes the wax to melt and harden into the hexagonal shape. - EPA

FOR thousands of years, thinkers have marvelled at the feat of engineering that is the honeycomb.

Each waxy cell is a perfect hexagon, its six wafer-thin sides providing not only strength to the honeycomb structure but also the smartest way to store honey.