時差N小時:免于蜂刺(下) Get beyond the stinger

Worker bees then take over, secreting wax to buildthe hive.

工蜂從這一階段開始接手，它們用蜂蠟建造蜂巢。

Starting from the top and working down, they buildcombs–layers of hexagonally shaped cells withpassageways along the walls to allow bees to movebetween combs.

工蜂按照逐層往下的順序進行建造，從每個蜂房都是六邊形的巢基開始。而蜂房間要留有空隙以便蜜蜂出入。

Each layer of cells has a specialized purpose.

每個蜂房都有特殊的作用。

The uppermost cells store honey,followed by pollen-storage cells.

最上面的蜂房是儲存蜂蜜的，接下來是用于儲存花粉，

The bottom layers are designated for infant-rearing.

下層是育嬰室，

Just beneath the pollen cells are brood cells where larvae become worker bees, and off to theside are cells housing drone bee larvae.

再下層是幼蟲變成工蜂的孵化室，兩側居住的是雄蜂幼蟲。

Last, but certainly not least, special cells are set aside to shelter infant queen bees.

當然，特殊的蜂房是留給有著尊貴地位的蜂王的。

A typical nest has about 100,000 cells with a total surface area of about twenty-seven squarefeet.

標準的蜂巢有100,000個蜂房，連上表層大概有27平方英尺。

Most of the cells are used to store the more than forty pounds of honey required to feed a beecolony during the winter.

大多數蜂巢會儲存40多英鎊的蜂蜜，這足以使得整個蜜蜂家族度過整個冬天。

They may not win any awards, but bees are clearly some of nature's mostaccomplishedarchitects.

雖然蜜蜂從未摘得任何桂冠，但是它們無疑是大自然最杰出的建造師。