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Philips urban beehive is sweet as honey

Concept structure brings beekeeping into homes with a glass hive container that goes on the inside and a tempting flower pot on the outside to encourage the critters to move in.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
Philips urban beehive concept
Beekeeping never looked so good. Philips

You wouldn't normally consider keeping a beehive on the second floor of your loft apartment in the middle of the concrete jungle, but Philips' urban beehive concept just might change your mind.

The urban beehive consists of an outside flower pot with a bee entryway above it. A glass container full of honeycomb frames sits on the inside to tempt the little buzzers into making a home.

A pull on the bottom of the hive is a smoke actuator that lets you calm the bees down before you pop off the cover or collect honey. Bees are incredible creatures, but you don't want to piss them off.

The beehive sports a sleek look that will fit right in with your modern sense of style. Philips touts the benefits of pollination, a fresh honey supply, and the educational interest of having a hive at your fingertips.

The Philips beehive is just a concept for now. With bee colonies on the decline, a proliferation of urban beehives could help out in the push for bee preservation.

The urban beehive is part of Philips' Microbial Home project, a set of design concepts that aim to boost sustainability efforts in homes. It is also potentially delicious.

Philips urban beehive
This science project should take first place, kids. Philips
(Via Inhabitat)