Apidae

Long description

Apidae is a project that seeks to improve our relationship with nature, specifically with a group of bees known as Meliponini; Species characterized by producing phenomenal honey and being the main pollinators of many native foods, as well as being essential for the conservation of the biodiversity of the ecosystems they inhabit. As a continuation of the work we have done over the last few years, we propose a system of objects for raising Meliponini bees. This system consists of breeding boxes, which function as “houses” for the hives, as well as a kit to fabricate potes and piqueras. The potes and piqueras are part of the natural structures that bees build using wax. The potes’ function is to store honey and pollen, while the piqueras help to have better control over the access of other species to the hive. We approach this project as a circular interspecies collaboration, in which humans design and build objects with the intention of bees utilizing, appropriating and modifying them. Thus having the ultimate goal of generating and strengthening symbiotic relationships. The breeding boxes, manufactured entirely out of wood, are designed to have a life cycle of at least twenty years. On the other hand, the potes and piqueras are designed so that the beekeepers themselves can manufacture them directly with the wax produced by well established hives, supporting the development of young hives.

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