The collapse of honey-bee colonies is bad news. Seventy-four out of 100 different crop types that account for 90 percent of the global food output are pollinated by bees, but the direct cause of the phenomenon called the Colony Collapse Disorder remains unknown. Efforts are being made to bring the bee population back to a healthy level with city councils around the world encouraging the 3000 year old practice of keeping bees in cities. While not proclaiming to solve large scale crop pollination problems, Philips has turned its know-how to the equation with this futuristic concept catering for the needs of the urban beekeeper.

The Urban Beehive concept is a part of the Microbial Home Project - Philips's effort at creating a domestic ecosystem of innovative design solutions to cleaning, energy, human waste, lighting and food preservation. The house is viewed as a biological machine capable of filtering, processing and recycling what we would normally think of as waste.

The bees enter the glass pane mounted beehive via an entry tunnel located just above a welcoming pollen-filled flowerpot. On the inside the bees encounter a set of honeycomb structures that they use to lay their larvae, as well as store honey and pollen. If you'd rather not meet the bees in person, you can simply watch them toil away safe in the knowledge that there is a gradient-tinted glass barrier between you and the laborious critters (only the orange wavelength of light which is invisible to bees gets through the glass). And if you feel adventurous enough to actually remove the glass cover and collect some honey, you can calm the bees down by releasing smoke into the hive at the pull of a cord.

Philips' idea has one big advantage over the existing urban beekeeping solutions. Jason Neufeld's ceramic Bombus Shelters or the Beehouse from Omlet UK may be equally stylish and foolproof, but they have the drawback of requiring a backyard. To install the urban beehive, all you need is a window. That said, the Philips design is still at the concept stage.

Mr. Malya Peter, a beekeeper asked by Philips to evaluate some early renders of the concept, says the solution could be used for educational purposes but points out that it is not suitable for large scale honey production and that in the long run it would not be sustainable due to low mass of bees. For a sustainable colony (one that does not have to be fed with nectar) you need three kilograms of bees (one kilogram is 30 to 50 thousand insects). Also, regardless of the colony size, the hives need some maintenance at least once a year. This is not to say that the concept is unfeasible, but it may require slightly more skill and attention than the untrained amateur urban beekeepers may be able to offer.

We do see the merits of keeping bees in cities. It's a win-win situation. Bees get a cosy place to stay, the environment benefits from increased pollination, and the nature-deprived city dwellers get to observe the marvelous world of bees from their living rooms, which in itself provides great therapeutic value. And let's not forget the free honey.

It would certainly be interesting to see this idea turned into reality.

Clean gutters? Check. Leaf-free yard? Check. Aching arms? Not with this blower! It's so lightweight and easy to handle that anyone can use it.
Why we love it:
- At only three pounds, this leaf blower is easy for anyone to use
- Powerful enough to make yard work a breeze (500 watts of power; 13,000 RPM)
- Nozzle focuses power for narrow spaces, but detaches for wider areas or for storage
- We use it for blowing leaves, clearing gutters, even clearing spider webs from eaves
- 5-1/2' cord; plug into an outlet or connect to your outdoor extension cord

For California residents only: This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

Only in California??? I wouldn't buy one now. that's just crazy.

I could use one of these!

Hidden Outdoor Sink

Do you love gardening? Do you want a handy outdoor sink but is concerned that it would attract mosquitos or have mold when exposed to the elements? Why not have the Water Station? This clever outdoor sink is perfect for cleaning garden tools, rinsing freshly picked vegetables, repotting plants, and washing your hands after working out in the yard. Half of the Water Station's work surface slides open to reveal a deep sink with lift-up/fold-down faucet, built-in soap dish, and drain stopper. This outdoor garden sink also includes a built-in hose reel underneath, plus a 40' hose, 4' hose, and "Y" connector.

No gum that you can chew and spit in seven different colours? I'm genuinely surprised.

Thank you CMCHarris : ) lol

There are too many way too awesome things here for me to reply about them all! Really cool post.

h already said no bees.

Thanks a million Laticauda!

Want:

the beehive - few

the bronze 'lady'

push button tap adapter

igloo

ouch couch!!!

have:

Rina- you have an Andalusian horse?? OMG

Gotcha :)

Not real one, just few different paintings...

Mayo -are those crates bee containers ?

I'd love some Andalusian chickens.

Great idea, laticauda! You could probably sell the hair to wig makers too!

I have the ouch couch. It's a pain in the-

Um...hair?

http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/andalusian

That fancy beehive looks like it could be awfully problematic. You have to get in there and examine the comb from time to time. That looks difficult.

Nil13,

i think you're right. I'd imagine it hinges off into the house for maintenance but how do you get the bees back out of your apartment so they can find their hive door.

its obvious it was advertisers who came up with this and not bee keepers.

h still says no bees.

I would think that's why it is still at the concept stage.

The ouch couch looks awesome - but maybe more decor than usage...?

Oh, I know! Instead of it being each individual home cares for their bees, you could have a business like an interior plantscaper or aquarium maintenance businesses.

Lone business, loads of hives that people pay them for the maintenance and honey, so they can be very hipster with their own fresh honey straight from the hive in a high rise.

anyway, the maintenance would be done kind of the way window washers do it. HEY!

maybe window washing businesses can diversify into the urban beekeeping industrialization. It wouldn't be too much of an additional investment, since the heavy lifting stuff is already owned.

And every guilty-feeling environment glutton will feel like they are doing so much good by paying these people to take care of bees.

What about winter? The heat from the home would prevent their seasonal hibernation/die off. Just what do bees do during the winter?

Well I'll be- there really are Andalusian chickens! I thought it was a joke based on the nature of the post. Haha oh well! My sister imported Bresse chicks from France. They have grown and done well, and really are red/white/blue.

ez

Lol, David. Some of the best all around farm chicken. Good for eatin, lay like crazy and are pretty good about not gettin eaten by a predator. Some chickens will walk right into a predator's mouth (silkies) *ahem*