wax glands ( photos)

[Stromnessbees]

Really? That would seem to indicate that the bees have complete voluntary cindividual control over each gland. It would seem more likely that the process stops and starts as a whole, more akin to sweating. As for dealing with the platelets, wax building is a team effort.

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Yes, but the wax producing bee still has to catch each platelet with its hind legs and gingerly pass it up to the front legs.
- That's not possible for more than one or two platelets at a time.

As wax is a very high energy item, bees will try not to waste any of it, so it's important that nearly every platelet produced makes it onto the comb.

As I said earlier, I used to watch wax sweating in my observation hive, and it's a highly organised process. I wish I could find a close-up video of the procedure.