时差N小时:免于蜂刺(下) Get beyond the stinger

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

工蜂从这一阶段开始接手，它们用蜂蜡建造蜂巢。

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

工蜂按照逐层往下的顺序进行建造，从每个蜂房都是六边形的巢基开始。而蜂房间要留有空隙以便蜜蜂出入。

Each layer of cells has a specialized purpose.

每个蜂房都有特殊的作用。

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

最上面的蜂房是储存蜂蜜的，接下来是用于储存花粉，

The bottom layers are designated for infant-rearing.

下层是育婴室，

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

再下层是幼虫变成工蜂的孵化室，两侧居住的是雄蜂幼虫。

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

当然，特殊的蜂房是留给有着尊贵地位的蜂王的。

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

标准的蜂巢有100,000个蜂房，连上表层大概有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.

大多数蜂巢会储存40多英镑的蜂蜜，这足以使得整个蜜蜂家族度过整个冬天。

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

虽然蜜蜂从未摘得任何桂冠，但是它们无疑是大自然最杰出的建造师。