Urban Beehives

Simon Mildren, an Australian firefighter with a passion for beekeeping, has streamlined the beekeeping process with the Hivekeepers Micro Honey Harvester system. It sounds like it could be ideal for the recreational or small-scale beekeeper.

There are already ant farms that let people watch ants, and even a sealed termite colony for folks who prefer something a little different. Now there's the round, transparent Ivry-B beehive, that allows users to engage in some quality bee-watching.

To raise awareness of the plight of bees – and, no doubt, to nab some positive PR buzz and shift a few more Big Macs – McDonald's in Sweden has created what it calls "the world's smallest McDonald's." But there's a twist, would you bee-lieve it – it's not a McDonald's. It's a beehive.

A new beehive system made up of a series of hexagonal prisms may be just what your bees need. The Honeycomb Hives system is designed to tackle bee colony losses by making hives which apparently keep pests out, get rid of condensation and which retain heat more efficiently.

Honeybees play a crucial role in pollinating crops. The BEEcosystem observation hive has been designed to help combat falling bee numbers by encouraging people to take up beekeeping and get educated about bees.

Philips's urban beehive concept enables city dwellers with no backyards to keep bees at home.