Beehives
Now there are two beehives from Skärgårdskupan (the archipelago beehive) on site at Artipelag. One on the meadow close to the parking Lillemor and one close to the path leading out to Jaume Plensa’s sculpture.
The hives are manufactured on Värmdö and should resemble the natural habitat of the honeybee, the tree trunk, but in a traditional box shape. They are made of natural materials such as wood, chipboard and flaxen and treated with cold pressed linseed oil. The legs have been singed to prevent rot against the ground. In each hive, approximately five to ten thousand bees reside.
More about the hives
The natural processes that takes place in a bee colony is recreated in Skärgårdskupan – among others, production of vital propolis and the natural antibiotic honey water. A massive, built-in wooden drum insulate and helps the bees with the important task of maintaining an even interior temperature, something that require an enormous amount of energy from the bees in traditional hives. By creating a better and more natural environment, less stress and the bees get a better resistance against diseases and harmful mite infections.
Skärgårdskupan is designed based on research that clearly shows the bees’ own ability to survive should the right conditions be given. With its unique design, Skärgårdskupan take the natural behaviour of the honeybee into account and only extract the honey the bee society can spare, in the attempt to create the ultimate beehive.
Skärgårdskupan allows extraction of honey, while protecting the continued survival of the honeybee and pollination of the plants.