Honeycomb, covering structural, material, and functional classifications as well as practical knowledge, presented in a concise Chinese–English comparison:

Basic Definition and Materials

A honeycomb is the nest structure built by worker bees using beeswax secreted from their abdominal wax glands (produced through the conversion of large amounts of honey). It serves as the core habitat for the bee colony, providing space for brood rearing and the storage of honey and pollen. In wild colonies, honeycombs are typically suspended inside tree cavities or rock crevices; in managed hives, they consist of multiple parallel, vertically oriented combs with a spacing of 7–10 mm between combs (known as the “bee space”). The bees chew and soften the beeswax to shape it, resulting in cell walls that are only about 0.073 mm thick—allowing for extremely tight tolerances. Additionally, the entire comb is inclined at an angle of 9–14° to prevent honey from spilling out.