Let it bee
- Simone Maas
- 29 mei 2016
- 2 minuten om te lezen
Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a big fan of bees. The same counts for wasps, mosquitos and basically for any other insect that could potentially bite me. However, I am aware that these beings exist for a reason. Bees are fundamental to our ecosystem. They pollinate vegetation and therefore have a big influence on the food production. Yet, many bee-species are struggling. Now is the time for us to give them a hand! (Not literally of course, I don’t want to be stung.)
What is it?
Bubble Beehive is an urban beehive that is both safe and sustainable. industrial designers Ada Bisziok and Nicolò Donna starting working on this idea at the Free Academy of Fine Arts in Brescia. One of their professors introduced them to the subject of dying bees and by looking into it, they got more and more motivated to find a solution. This year they developed a prototype and it was exhibited at Milan Design Week.
The structure of the Bubble Beehive is basically the same as those of an ordinary beehive. The element that Bisziok and Donna added to the hive is a dual-layer wall that takes care of the internal-temperature. This way the inside will never get to hot or to cold for the bees. Apart from being save for its inhabitants, this hive is also safe for the environment. It is supported by three wooden stakes and is entirely made out of recyclable PE food-grade printed plastic.
Why is it cool?
At the beginning of March an international conference was organized by IPBES to inform 124 countries about a report. The report stated that 40 % of the bees and butterflies worldwide are threatened with extinction. The men who was actually in charge of this study, Koos Biesmeijer (head of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center), also brought out an urgent advice for the governments. They should start paying attention to this problem by making agriculture more sustainable and insect-friendly.
Isn’t it weird that Biesmeijer mainly focusses on agriculture while urbanisation is one of the biggest developments at the moment? It is expected that by 2017 a majority of the people will be living in the city. In these urban areas we can also adjust our lifestyle to help the bees and butterflies. If a city contained more green and flowers, it would be more suitable for these insects to stay. With the Bubble Beehive we can even provide them a home.
I believe that this one product could really make a difference, not just for the bees. It permits you to keep ‘a unique pet’ and to produce your own honey! Besides, this ‘garden accessory’ spreads information about this global problem. By placing it in your garden you become a bee-keeper, a bee-saver and a messenger at once!
What sources did I use?
http://static.wixstatic.com/media/613b0b_6c2d17c2aeb946fa916700758b38eed8.jpg_srz_980_653_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz (afbeelding 2)
Always wonder,
Simone
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