MULTIBOX plastic box for bee packages

01 · FIFTEEN THOUSAND BEES

What goes inside

It is sized for 1.5 kg of bees, which in round numbers is about fifteen thousand — a bee weighs on the order of a tenth of a gram.

That is the usual package size, and it is what sets how much ventilation and how much feed are needed.

02 · VENTILATION IS THE PRODUCT

And what has to be respected

All four sides are ventilated, and that is the whole point of the box. A mass of bees produces heat, and in a container that cannot shed it the cluster cooks itself.

Hence the rule that admits no exception: not in the sun and not in a closed vehicle. In the shade, with air around it and nothing stacked on top blocking the sides.

03 · THE FEEDER IS THE LID

Two jobs in one piece

On top there is a 10 cm opening through which the bees go in and out. The feeder fits into it, so it doubles as the lid: it is what stops the escape.

It has a drip mechanism that doses the syrup so the bees can lick without flooding it, and it holds about 800 ml. It goes in before the bees, not after.

04 · IT FLAT-PACKS

The logistical advantage

The six faces come apart — they are joined by a wire spindle — so the empty box stores flat instead of taking up fifteen litres of shelf all year.

And the four hooks let boxes lock to each other, side by side and stacked: in transport that is what stops them sliding around the van.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

This is the box with its feeder: