Nov 11, 2011 4:49 PM
The Urban Beehive by Phillips, more honey and stings for everyone
"The city benefits from the pollination, and humans benefit from the honey." -Phillips PR
Seems like a win-win situation.
The latest from electronics giant Phillips's Microbial Home project comes the Urban Beehive (UB). Making the frightening hive a little more friendly, Phillips houses the little creatures in an orange-smokey glass vessel (orange is the wavelength bees can see). A plastic honeycomb pattern is already constructed inside for the bees to build upon. Observable from the outside, the UB makes for a great educational piece a most likely fun to watch.
I do not claim to be a beehive expert, but appears to operate much like a traditional bee-farm hive. To retrieve the honey, smoking the hive is the first step. The UB has a cord coming out of the bottom of the glass container that acts as the smoke start switch. After smoking, one has to open the container and take a chunk of the hive with them.
On the backside is a small hole/spout, where the bees enter and leave the hive. Also, a flower arrangement is placed near the spout for easy pollination for the insects. Alternatively, they can scour the city for other flowers. Bees tend to swarm people messing with their hives, so avoiding the back of the device is key.
A added benefit for the UB is the hive is fairly protected from common hive predators that feed on bee larvae. By introducing new colonies in new locations, the fungus Pericystis alvei that has decimated hives across the USA may not be present.
What may destroy the colonies is the average person's natural reaction to exterminate bees as they see them. However, at the Microbial Home, everyone is happy.
See more Phillips innovations at their Microbial Home project website.
Cabe
