From the Series
It’s a well-known fact that bees are the superstars of pollination. Pesticides, pollution and the loss of their natural habitat threaten the existence of bees around the world. In the United Kingdom (UK), the number of bees declined by 50 per cent in the last 25 years. According to tea company Taylors of Harrogate, citizens in cities and urban spaces need to invite bees into their backyards if the insect is to survive. To raise awareness, the company teamed up with Kew Gardens to create the Grand Beedapest Hotel, an adorable, enchanting resting spot for urban-dwelling bees.
A Bristol University study found that bees prefer urban spaces to rural ones. With this in mind, Taylors of Harrogate built a hotel for travelling bees equipped with a swimming pool, restaurant and dance hall all stocked with bee-friendly food like mint leaves, roses, pollen and rhubarb. The quirky design was created to attract the attention of both bees and humans, encouraging people to make their own homes and gardens more bee-friendly.
“Our Luxury Bee Hotel is a flight of fancy – but we’ve built this delightfully grand miniature residence to attract more than just a winged clientele. We want to create a buzz,” reads the campaign’s web page.
The project calls on viewers to build a bee hotel of their own, but not as elaborate.
