Graduation project
The Swarm Shepherd
Pablo Bolumar Plata
A collaborative design research methodology has resulted in hybrid devices that facilitate an experimental approach to beekeeping.
The Swarm Shepherd is a design research methodology that explores an experimental approach to beekeeping. The project involves design, prototyping, and testing in collaboration with beekeepers. Through hybrid devices made of waxed canvas with substances that attract scouting bees, its goal is to guide swarms into apiaries. Once a colony nests inside, a layer of cork bark provides insulation for the honeycomb, the reproductive organ of the colony. In the context of the crisis in bee health and professional beekeeping, the Swarm Shepherd aims to support colony health research and diversify bee cultures, redefining their role in the design of ecologies.