Research

Hexabee is a small part of expansive ongoing research into solitary bees within the UK, undertaken by the artist Nick Rhodes.

Hexabee was born from research into UK based solitary bees, and the current houses that are widely available to purchase.

Nick noticed that current solitary bee houses over look two simple factors. Ergonomics and whole life cycle of the solitary bee.  

Most solitary bee houses on the market provide cylindrical or squared prisms for the bee to make a home in. Mainly bamboo or routed wood. This on the face of it is good, however with the bamboo options, it can create negative impacts when the season is over for the bee and its larvae. These types of options aren't easily cleanable, and can increase the risk of bee parasites taking hold.

Another factor of bee houses is the shape of the bee. Through observation, Nick noticed that most solitary bees back up into their homes to offload pollen. It was this little observation that got Nick thinking why can't the bee turn in the prism? Is it the bee's body shape? Could a solution save the bee valuable time?

There the idea of Hexabee was born, and a possible solution has been designed and built.