Editing Beehive (section)

== Honey bee nests ==
[[File: Natural Beehive.jpg|thumb|right|Natural bee colony in the hollow of a tree]]

Honey bees use caves, rock cavities, and hollow trees as natural nesting sites. In warmer climates, they may build exposed hanging nests; members of other subgenera have exposed aerial combs. Multiple parallel honeycombs form the hive with a relatively uniform [[bee space]]. It usually has a single entrance. [[Western honey bee]]s prefer nest cavities approximately {{cvt|45|L|cuft}} in volume and avoid those smaller than {{cvt|10|L|cuft}} or larger than {{cvt|100|L|cuft}}.<ref name="FAO">[http://www.fao.org/docrep/X0083E/X0083E02.htm Honeybees of the genus ''Apis''.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129022446/http://www.fao.org/docrep/x0083e/X0083E02.htm |date=2014-11-29 }} [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] of the [[United Nations]]</ref> Western honey bees show several nest-site preferences: the height above ground is usually between {{convert|1|m|ft}} and {{convert|5|m|ft}}, entrance positions tend to face downward, [[equator]]ial-facing entrances are favored, and nest sites over {{convert|300|m|ft}} from the parent colony are preferred.<ref>{{Cite journal| last1 = Seeley | first1 = T. D.| last2 = Morse | first2 = R. A.| doi = 10.1007/BF02224297| title = Nest site selection by the honey bee, ''Apis mellifera''| journal = Insectes Sociaux| volume = 25| issue = 4
| pages = 323–37|date=December 1978| s2cid = 45528303}}</ref> Most bees occupy nests for several years.

The bees often smooth the bark surrounding the nest entrance and coat the cavity walls with a thin layer of hardened plant resin called [[propolis]]. Honeycombs are attached to the walls along the cavity tops and sides, but the bees leave passageways along the comb edges.<ref>{{Cite journal| last1 = Seeley | first1 = T. D.| last2 = Morse | first2 = R. A.| doi = 10.1007/BF02223477| title = The nest of the honey bee (''Apis mellifera'' L.)| journal = Insectes Sociaux| volume = 23| issue = 4| pages = 495–512|date=December 1976| s2cid = 43664500}}</ref> The standard nest architecture for all honeybees is similar: honey is stored in the upper part of the comb; beneath it are rows of pollen-storage cells, worker-brood cells, and drone-brood cells, in that order. The [[peanut|peanut-shaped]] [[queen bee|queen]] cells are normally built at the lower edge of the comb.<ref name = FAO/>