Mike Ponce,, age 12, of La Mesa, Calif,., for his questions:

 How does a bee make wax?

Wax making is one of the chores of the busy little worker bee. When time comes to build new cells or to repair old ones, she gorges herself on honey. Along with several of her sisters.. she hangs upside down on the honey comb and eats until she can eat no more. Certain glands inside her small body then transfer this honey into wax.

The wax oozes out from a double row of pores on the underside of her tummy. The wax sets in small leafy scales. The bee carefully revolves the bits of wax and kneads them into building material. She molds this material into eight sided honey combs