Busy Bees Get Temperature-Controlled 'Prefab' Homes and Say Thanks By Providing More Honey

The bee population is under serious threat yet its contribution to our ecosystem is as crucial as ever. So any way in which science can help bees survive is a welcome bonus for this hard working pollinator of our crops and flowers. Now, after centuries of using traditional wooden hives, beekeepers are turning to a new development which effectively gives bees a designer home made out of expanded polystyrene – a material recently renamed ‘airpop’ across Europe.

Airpop is described as ‘engineered air’. In fact it’s 98% air captured in a polystyrene matrix. It’s just like the expanded polystyrene used in packaging to protect everything from human organs to fragile computer equipment but its strength, durability and thermal insulation qualities have been recognised as a perfect combination for beehives.
The new airpop beehives help bees survive the extremes of climate that are increasingly common. The material’s exceptional insulation qualities (it’s also used in cavity walls and for transporting fresh fish and seafood) keep the bees warm in winter when heavy frosts can devastate a bee colony - and cool in summer when overheating can be an issue for these temperature sensitive creatures. And unlike wooden hives, the new beehives will never rot.

But it’s not just the material they’re made from that’s clever. The new hives have been designed with every creature comfort incorporating features such as a landing strip, feeding door and easy honey removal. In fact one of Britain’s biggest commercial beekeepers, Paynes Southdown Beefarm in Sussex which not only sells the hives but has been producing honey since 1922 claims the new hives have increased their honey yield by 30%.

Roger Payne said, “The difference in honey yield is quite remarkable and demonstrates the importance of providing a safe, thermally insulated home for this precious creature. The new hives are proving extremely popular not just for commercial beekeepers but also for amateurs as they require virtually no maintenance compared with traditional materials. It’s question of moving forward with the times and if that means bees benefit then we all do.”

Why do bees make more honey in their new homes? It’s because temperature is critical to the bee. They shake vigorously in the hive to regulate their temperature and when it’s too hot they bring in water and rapidly flap their wings to spread the cooling moisture. But all this temperature regulation activity takes its toll on the time and energy they have to make honey. So one big advantage of the insulation provided by the airpop hive means they have more opportunity to make more honey of a better quality. The new hives have strong environmental credentials too because they can be recycled at the end of their life.

Jonathan Haddock of manufacturer DS Smith Plastics Foam Products said, “This material is already in use across the globe for protecting products from computers in transit to human kidneys for transplant, it is also used in construction and housing insulation, but this is an outstanding application which benefits one of our most precious contributors to nature.”

Media Contact on behalf of British Plastics Federation:

Peter Woodall, PRP Consulting LLP:  + 44 (0)115 958 0403 Mob: 077 6866 4418