Additively manufactured ‘bee houses’ to stimulate public interest in bee conservation

Researchers from Lancaster University have devised a strategy to boost the number of bee colonies by producing a large number of 3D-printed hives. Their goal is to distribute these hives to the public as part of an initiative aimed at raising awareness about the alarming decline in bee populations. Building on the surge of interest in nature during the pandemic, the team created the first «BeeBox,» a hive equipped with a webcam. This innovation is intended not only to captivate public interest in bees but also to provide researchers with valuable observations on how bees behave within their hives.

The bee houses, which will be molded from recycled plastic, are designed to be mounted in trees or on the ground, as several bee species prefer to live in trees or at ground level.

«We often think that to preserve bees it is enough to provide them with more food, a job that we rarely do infrastructure for them. These bee boxes will be placed in both rural and urban areas,” said Dr Philip Donkersley, a bee specialist at Lancaster University.

You can see the printed BeeBox in the photo below.

They are designed to provide a comfortable environment for queens for their hives to develop. The use of pesticides on green areas and intensive agricultural processes in the UK, for example, have led to the disappearance of most of Britain’s 25 native bee species.

“The concept of ‘save the bees’ is very popular with the public right now,” Donkersley said.

«It’s about taking advantage of this. Everyone knows that bees are affected. This way you can help directly [bondarii] and you can also get something out of it because you can follow them and see what they’re doing. «

The researchers have already set up four prototypes on a farm and monitored the bees’ activity via an infrared webcam (so there is no need to illuminate the box with visible light).

You can view the videos on the project channel at this link.

BeeBoxes are tough and robust enough to withstand the outdoors and can therefore be grown in a variety of locations, even buried underground

Conclusion

The initiative by researchers at Lancaster University to mass-produce and distribute 3D-printed beehives (dubbed the «BeeBox») represents a creative and multi-faceted approach to combating bee colony decline and raising public awareness. By leveraging the flexibility of 3D printing, the team can rapidly produce the hives, making the goal of increasing colony numbers feasible. The strategy capitalizes on the heightened public interest in nature observed during the pandemic to maximize engagement. Crucially, the BeeBox is equipped with a webcam, serving a dual purpose: it captures public attention to the critical issue of bee extinction and simultaneously provides researchers with invaluable real-time data and insights into the life and behavior of the bee colonies within the custom-designed hives. This project successfully merges conservation efforts with advanced technology and public education.