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Jun 12, 2015 | By Simon

While scientists and environmental researchers still aren’t completely certain why, it has been proven that bee populations have been dropping at a dramatic rate worldwide.   If the honeybee population continues to decline, the volume of our food supply, created by their pollinating efforts, will be jeopardized.  Among others who have been busy developing a solution for saving the bees is a company from Australia called HiveHaven. 

In what started as a solution to their own bee problems has now grown into a commercial product that delivers a solution to many problems of which they believe will do good things for the bee industry.  Thanks to 3D printing, the team has been able to further refine the design direction of their solution and have recently launched an Indiegogo campaign that is currently over 26% funded with nearly three weeks left to go in the campaign.  

According to the company, who are based at Beerburrum on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in Australia, they know the plight of bees better than most.  

In 2011, a swarm of bees moved into one of the walls in their workshop and while people told them to poison the hive, they knew that there had to be a more human (and functional) solution for relocated the bees.  They ended up re-homing the bees in their backyard and officially became hobbyist beekeepers before founding the company soon after.   

  

Now, nearly half-decade after they first started beekeeping, HiveHaven is setting out to change beekeeping for the better with their innovative and sustainable beehive boxes.  Among other features of their design include the ability to provide improved heating and cooling properties that can counteract the devastating effects of hive overheating and stress.  

“Made from HPDE, a material derived from recycled milk bottles, our boxes are the first to provide environmentally friendly in-built biosecurity control that address the deadly diseases and pests such as spore based bacteria, Varroa mite and the African small hive beetle - Aethina tumida,” says the company.  

“As a sustainable manufacturing alternative to old growth hoop pine, this durable material requires minimal maintenance, subsequently providing beekeepers with improved returns on their time and investment.”

The company has been actively working with the nearby University of Sunshine Coast's Engage Lab to develop a box design that can be produced by a 3D printer - using biodegradable and sustainable materials.

In addition to their innovative take on fabricating the boxes from HDPE, the company has also included built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to make it easier for beekeepers to not only spread out their bee populations but also organize them as well.  

After successfully testing the boxes with members of the Queensland Professional Beekeeper’s Association, the company feels confident that they are ready to move on to the next step of full scale manufacturing, however they are hoping to raise $11,000 from their Indiegogo campaign to be able to purchase a large-scale 3D printer to further be able to research and develop BeeBox prototypes.

To help them out, head over to the company’s Indiegogo campaign.  

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

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