When we first heard about BEEcosystem’s indoor hives, the fear factor was high. Who wants to set themselves up for a living room full of bees? Apparently enough people that BEEcosystem creators Dustin Betz and Mike Zaengle were encouraged to improve and expand their modular hive system.

The chief feature of any BEEcosystem hive is that it gives a literal window into the bee colony it houses. The hexagon-shaped module is framed in cedar and fronted with a pane of glass. Side vents can be opened and closed to connect multiple modules or to keep the bees contained if you need to move the hive.

How do the bees get inside your house? The hive can be connected to a tube that runs to a small window unit—sort of like a miniature version of vent tube for a portable air conditioner. The window unit has the added benefit of providing bees with an ideal platform for takeoff and landing. The tube has a safety mechanism that instantly snaps closed if it’s ever disconnected.

The company even has a buzzing Ambassador Program: “We are in the process of building a platform to facilitate more connections between beekeepers and non-beekeepers.... Our goal is to connect experienced beekeepers with less experienced BEEcosystem observation hive customers.”

BEEcosystems start at $599 for a one-hex hive.

Via: Inhabitat