Product Design with Professional Experience BSc(Hons) student Joshua won the W’Innovate and Wilko Award for his innovative ‘Bait Hive’ – a sustainable, low-cost design solution for a foldable bee hive.
Speaking about his winning design, Joshua said: “My father has kept bees for years and used to get me to muck in. The Bait Hive is designed to be used in a wide variety of locations and is dedicated to swarm capture. It utilises a pheromone to aid in attracting a swarm, and once it enters the hive, a rotating door is used to trap the queen whilst allowing the colony to continue to forage, ensuring the swarm stays in its new location.
“The long term plan is called the ‘bait hive mission’ which aims to exponentially boost the numbers of bees globally. Aside from the retail product for hobbyist beekeepers, I hope that the hive will eventually be offered as a free swarm prevention service for businesses and public places as an alternative to the use of exterminators and pest control.”