Designing an Artificial Microclimate: HIIVE

Have you read about our client’s Keeki bag? The Keeiki bag is a linen bag lined with beeswax allowing the bread to breathe without drying out. Typical plastic bread bags, on the other hand, keeps moisture in and encourages the growth of mold. In that blog, we also mentioned they donate a portion of all sales to the Ontario Nature conservation charity. A charity that protects wild species and spaces including bees and other wild pollinators. So when we heard about the HIIVE, a microclimate invention design for bees, we couldn’t wait to share!

HIIVE

Dedicated to creating a microclimate invention design, HIIVE aims to provide better homes for bees compared to traditional beehives. Did you know, bees pollinate about 80 percent of all the plants in the world? However, beekeepers tend to lose about 20 percent of their colonies due to harsh winter conditions. In the early stages of the company, they wanted to create a more ergonomic home for bees. What they quickly learned was that chemical treatments to protect bees from harmful parasites such as the Varroa mite affected the bees’ behavior. Recognizing they needed to upgrade their initial design, they went to scientists to find out what they can do to protect bees. 

The traditional bee box invention design doesn’t provide enough insulation and the right microclimate. Thus the bees must expend a lot of energy needlessly to keep their temperature. The humidity in these homes is also conducive to mold growth. In addition, there’s no space for natural bee-friendly symbionts such as the book scorpion to reside within bee boxes.

What HIIVE did was create the first bee home that mimics the climate and a true wild bee home, called tree caves. In their learnings, they found out that in previous invention designs, bees were in the wrong microclimate in conventional bee boxes, the wooden bee homes that typically hold honeycomb slates. Amazingly, HIIVE completely replicates the specifications of a wild tree cave. And by mimicking this natural microclimate, bees are much healthier and happier. And that’s thanks to the fact that they no longer need to be treated with harmful chemicals to keep them alive. What’s this man-made tree cave made of you ask? Recycled or sustainable materials including hemp wool, clay, wood, or bark.

To learn more about HIIVE’s microclimate invention design, check out their website.