About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Biological Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
Microstructural Evolution of Apis mellifera Queen Cups |
| Author(s) |
Nicole Balog, J Krispn Given, Brock A. Harpur, Nikhilesh Chawla |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Nicole Balog |
| Abstract Scope |
The traditional honeycomb structure of honey bees (Apis mellifera) has been described in literature for centuries. Most studies focus on the construction of the typical hexagonal honeycomb structure, used to rear workers and drones, as well as store supplies within the hive. Queen cups, built by worker bees to raise a new queen, are highly specialized structures designed to facilitate the proper development of a growing queen. These cups are characterized by a “morel” texture, a poorly understood feature whose impact is rarely described in the literature. In this study, x-ray computed tomography (XCT) was used to perform a time-resolved study of queen cups over the course of their construction. One cell was removed from a finishing hive every 12 hours and subjected to XCT scanning. Changes in thickness due to the morel texturing were quantified and potential purposes of these structures will be discussed. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Biomaterials, Characterization, Additive Manufacturing |