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Hive for solitary bees
Planet Earth and our lives would be quite different if lone bees didn't exist. What if! Although we have in mind that bees They are always in hives with many individuals, in fact, there are many species of bees that are solitary.
For flowers, for trees, for animals, and, of course, for humans, we need them. In fact, a third of what we eat depends on these busy insects that are great pollinators.
For years we have dedicated ourselves to destroying their homes and natural habitats to have our own cities and roads, confirming it on our blog. We have resorted to pesticides, chemicals and a thousand follies in agriculture, causing the decline of the natural ecosystems and flora they need to survive. Now, it's time to start thinking about these great little saviors.
Not many years ago, we saw the article on how the Netherlands turns bus stops into shelters for bees. Today, we are going to see how to build a hive for solitary bees easily and with a spectacular design …
Bee Home: The hive for solitary bees
This is where the Bee Home project comes in from IKEA and its research startup SPACE10. The idea is simple! That we can build and ride at home, our own hive to help bees lonely.
Of course, only from the hand of IKEA can a beehive design appear that reminds us of the minimalist architecture that we have observed so much throughout history.
Details, modules, plans to download and facilities in the hive construction and mounting. It enhances the practicality that IKEA has accustomed to us when it insists on showing us that design is not incompatible with nature.
The keys to the Bee Home: Design and manufacture
To facilitate our work in the hive construction, the SPACE10 study has designed an interactive guide on the web that can be consulted from BeeHome and that we only have to follow the steps:
- Design. Create your own home for bees in a few minutes playing with the modules. You have to select the size; height, plants and position.
- Manufacturing. We download the design files for free and, if you feel like it, share them! It is downloaded in a compressed file where we will find an image with the adopted design, a PDF document on assembly with instructions and recommendations, and a DXF file that is a file for computer-aided design drawings (See article on more than 500 Autocad drawings in OVACEN where there are multiple tools and, among all, the following to directly open the DXF file from HERE)
Later, it tells us if we want to bring the Bee Home files to a local workspace. If we put an address, different collaborative FabLabs will appear. You can also join the community and register the project on a map.
The web offers us a map with geolocations of the Makerspaces. Which are open workshops with access to a variety of tools so that we can build the hive quickly and easily (many of these workshops have computer controlled tools)
For the assembly you do not need any type of special tool, just your hands and a few minutes. Remember the article on modular hives for the interior of the house, it is very curious.
The materials to use are preferably wood. As a general rule of thumb, the denser and stronger it is, the longer it will last; such as oak, larch, cedar or mahogany (Using sustainable or local wood is best). The wooden plank should preferably be 3 cm thick (Everything is explained in the instructions when you download the design)
Where to place the hive?… It can be placed anywhere, as long as it is outdoors, facing the morning sun and less than 300 meters from the flowers. Make sure it is protected from strong winds and that the holes remain horizontal at all times.
Create a homemade solitary bee hive
As today on the Internet there is everything. We have searched for a video of how to create a bee shelter solitary that is easy and with very accessible materials …
Why Solitary Bees Are Important
Solitary bees are great pollinators - a single solitary bee could provide as much pollination as 120 bees. With nearly 90% of flowering plants dependent on pollination - including roughly a third of the world's food supply - solitary bees are vital to life on planet Earth.
Every female lone bee is a queen. And like every queen, she has between 20 to 30 young. A single hive of bees could give life to hundreds of solitary bees that we need
It must be borne in mind that solitary bees are friendly, they do not produce honey and therefore they have nothing to protect. They only bite if we devote ourselves to bothering them with desire.
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