This sustainable beehive is developed to replicates the microclimate of the bee’s natural habitat!

Bees are necessary to preserve our ecosystem running as we know it, these grasp pollinators perform a huge purpose in supporting the advancement of trees, flowers, and other crops that provide as food items + shelter for all dwelling beings. They add to advanced, interconnected ecosystems that let a assorted amount of various species to co-exist. HIIVE is a beehive created to assist beekeepers to preserve their bees in a extra natural way in contrast to classic hives. It is crafted from sustainable elements and with very low-energy sensors to give the beekeeping encounter a a great deal-wanted up grade because it has been 150 decades considering the fact that the conventional bee box design and style!

It supports the inherent conduct of the Apis Mellifera aka the European honeybee which is one of the most prevalent kinds. “At first we just needed to style a extra ergonomic beehive. While researching design and style, we accompanied a number of beekeepers. The 1st time we saw the treatment versus the Varroa Mite (greatest enemy of the honeybee), it was stunning. The chemical treatment had a direct effect on the bees‘ conduct. We observed that there is a a lot more major challenge to be solved than the ergonomics of beekeeping. So we spoke to researchers for suggestions and they regularly pointed out the dilemma with the improper microclimate in conventional bee-bins,” described Potthast and that is how the concept came to bee.

HIIVE is developed to replicate the microclimate of a tree cave which is the natural habitat of the European honey bee. According to investigation, honey bees in tree caves live more healthy life and are improved geared up to deal with parasites simply because of circumstantial classes. HIIVE is essentially the very first tree cave that can be developed at an industrial scale.

It presents a tree cave-like geometry without having chilly bridges which tends to make it effortless for the wintertime bees. The body is built from recycled plastic and a textile include to secure towards the temperature. Its also insulated with normal thermo hemp wool and an more vapor barrier film for optimum moisture command. Many thanks to the insulation the animals have to use less energy to heat up or cool down the dwelling and this “leisure time” has beneficial results on their actions which promotes grooming naturally.

Potthast used a 12 months exploring and finding out layout with beekeepers to realize the calls for of both of those animals and human beings. When biologists pointed out that the microclimate is the biggest issue, the establish of the initial variation of HIIVE was built and insulated with all-natural hemp wool. “For the prototyping phase, we employed 3D printing for all structural components and laser chopping for the wood pieces. We have examined the initial prototype with a bee colony and it worked perfectly for the microclimate. But the dealing with wasn’t enjoyable and the quantity needed to be modified,” explained Potthast.

The redesign was additional effective and has a two-chamber process – 1 honey chamber and a person brood chamber – which are quickly extractable. This can make it doable to harvest honey respectfully. The quantity of plastic was also lowered by in excess of 85% thanks to the use of the textile include. It has a low production expense and for that reason can be economical for beekeepers across the world.

Standard bee containers neglect the requires that honey bees really make on a house. Bees prefer a spherical form and excellent insulation which is by natural means located in tree caves. But in regular containers, they want to devote a ton of energy on maintaining the ideal temperature through the seasons. There is also no living room for symbionts and if parasites enter then the bees get in issues which outcomes in beekeepers owning to handle them with chemical substances. In distinction, HIIVE was designed with a human-animal-centered tactic. It delivers beekeeping again to nature and makes sure a healthy everyday living for bees.

“At the instant we are conducting a subject examination with 10 prototypes of the newest model. The system is to convey HIIVE to series creation immediately after all exams are produced,” claimed Potthast as he spoke about the design’s foreseeable future. “The following step is also the enhancement of the campanion app, which will produce a new way of holding bees. With sensible sensors we have the chance to make not only health monitoring of each and every colony, but also a swarm alarm blended with a swarm internet. In this way beekeepers get notified when accurately to count on a swarm so they can maintain bees in a quite all-natural way without having regulating their swarm actions,” he included.

HIIVE is the excellent mix of a pure and healthy property for bees as very well as ergonomic and simple to use by beekeepers. The integrated app will make beekeeping additional effective and risk-free though the lower-value style and design will make it easy to be mass-created without introducing to the plastic air pollution problem. It is un-bee-lievably very good for a beehive!

Designer: Philip Potthast

HIIVE is a runner-up for the James Dyson Awards 2021 and has many a lot more notable achievements as a result of its journey from principle to completion.