MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

Mycelial Beehives of HIVEOPOLIS: Designing and Building Therapeutic Inner Nest Environments for Honeybees

Summary

Scientists created experimental beehives made from living mushroom mycelium (the root structure of mushrooms) combined with 3D-printed scaffolds. These hives are designed to keep bees warmer while providing natural antimicrobial compounds that protect them from diseases. The research combines digital design technology with biology to create homes that mimic the natural tree cavities where wild honeybees live, potentially making them healthier and more resilient to climate change and diseases.

Background

Modern beehive designs lack the microbiotic diversity found in natural tree cavity nests, limiting honeybee resilience and health. Mycelium materials offer thermal insulation and bioactive properties that could create therapeutic nest environments. The project aims to combine fungal mycelia with computational design and additive manufacturing to develop biohybrid hive structures.

Objective

To design and fabricate fully functional beehives using living mycelium-based composites that combine thermal insulation with medicinal properties to support honeybee health and resilience. The study explores methods for creating 3D-printed scaffolds for mycelium growth and tests their compatibility with living bee colonies.

Results

Three full-scale mycelial hive prototypes were successfully fabricated with different materials and inoculation methods. In vitro assays demonstrated antibacterial activity of Trametes versicolor mycelium against pathogenic bacteria. Field experiments revealed honeybees tolerate mycelium materials and may consume them; however, late-season colony establishment and environmental factors limited long-term survival data.

Conclusion

Living mycelium scaffolds can be successfully integrated into beehive architecture using computational design and additive manufacturing. Future work requires addressing timing of colony introduction, optimizing fungal strains for hive temperature conditions, and conducting longer-term field studies to validate therapeutic benefits for honeybee health and disease resistance.
  • Published in:Biomimetics (Basel),
  • Study Type:Design-Build Research Study with Field Experiments,
  • Source: 10.3390/biomimetics7020075, PMC9220405, PMID: 35735591
Scroll to Top