The author built and maintains a beehive inside a bedroom wall with a plexiglas viewport and a bamboo entrance tube.
Historical references show wall hives date back to at least 60 CE and were common in warm-temperate Old World regions.
To install the hive, drywall and insulation were removed between studs, exposing original wood framing and shingling.
A piece of plexiglas covered the cavity inside, overlaid by thick quilting for darkness and privacy.
A custom funnel attached to a plastic bin guided a swarm of bees into the wall hive during spring installation.
An oversight during installation released about two thousand bees into the room before the hive port was closed.
The hive named Valentine measures 11×54×3.75 inches (36.5 liters) and was populated with a small cast swarm.
Valentine thrived, building full-length combs and benefiting from stable temperatures in the wall cavity.
Get notified when new stories are published for "General AI News"