Bees are the most important species in the world. Together with other pollinators, bees are a vital part of our ecosystem, responsible for around 30% of the food we eat. Sadly, the human lifestyle is destroying the homes of bees, causing them to reach near extinction. In efforts to remedy this issue and raise awareness, Ikea’s external innovation hub, dubbed SPACE10, has launched a free, open-source design called Bee Home.
On May 20, to celebrate World Bee Day, SPACE10 launched Bee Home in collaboration with Bakken & Bæck and designer Tanita Klein. Their main goal of creating this project is to enable people from all around the world to personally take action in preserving the majestic species by downloading a Bee Home for free.
The team behind the project said:
With a design that is flexible and accessible through open-source design principles, everyone everywhere is empowered to design and fabricate their own Bee Home locally.
The Bee Home project focuses on solitary bees, as they are well known for being excellent pollinators. Up to 90% of all bees are solitary bees, which means they are loners who don’t live in colonies. Impressively, one solitary bee can pollinate the same amount as 120 honeybees!
Homes for solitary bees are simple; they only need small holes that can protect them from weather and moisture, where they can lay eggs and store pollen.
How can you get started on designing your Bee Home?
- Visit the Bee Home website
- Select the desired size of your Bee Home
- Select the preferred visual style
- Desired placement of the home (for example: in your garden, balcony, or rooftop)
- Once complete, download your customized design files free of charge, together with easy instructions on how to build the home
- After downloading the files, users can send them to their local CNC machine-owner, where it can be constructed using digital fabrication
- Finally, when your bee home is complete, plant some flowers nearby so the bees can pollinate
Klein explained:
I want people to design a dream home for bees that provides the perfect environment for their offspring, while at the same time being incredibly easy to design, assemble, and place. It was important for me that Bee Home is aesthetically pleasing and almost feels like you’ve added a sculpture to your garden or your balcony. This project really exemplifies how design can do good for both people and their environment.
As a bonus, no maintenance of the bee house is required besides a quick hose down every third year. Also, for those who are worried about stings, solitary bees are friendly, and the males don’t even have a stinger. So, what are you waiting for? Start saving bees today!
