The idea behind Bee Space came up during the final project of the two entrepreneurs’ bachelor’s degree in design. The chosen topic was the integration of beekeeping in an urban and Nordic environment. This practice has to overcome many obstacles such as technical, social and political issues. The analysis surrounding the integration of bees in an urban environment, the availability of small spaces, the wintering in a Nordic context and especially the use of the beekeeping practice guided their project towards resolving this issue:
How can we facilitate and optimize the practice and integration of beekeeping in an urban and Nordic environment?

To ensure the effectiveness of the Bee Space™ slipcover, the company carried out, in partnership with CRSAD, a comparative study based on a scientific sampling of 50 colonies during the winter of 2020-2021.

This research aimed to collect relevant data for outdoor wintering such as ambient humidity level in the hives, food consumption, deterioration of beekeeping equipment, impact of different material on hive survival and the impact of the Bee Space slipcover™ versus popular methods.

In addition, a total of 36 ambassadors scattered across the province of Quebec tested more than 120 prototypes in different regions where winter weather conditions vary considerably.

Testing will continue in the winter of 2021-2022

Following several honorary mentions for the quality of its design project and the business opportunity linking the field of beekeeping to product design, Bee Space inc. was born. After a long research and development process and following the obtaining of several prizes, the company was awarded the Première Ovation Grant from the Government of Quebec and the City of Quebec for the production of prototypes as well as a subsidy from CRIBIQ and the Ministry of Economy and Innovation (MEI), to carry out their product development activities.

Product development in a complex task that requires a wide range of resources in order to turn an idea into a tangible product. This structured development stage mixing design and engineering is taking form through a certain amount of iteration loops in which the main activities are generating creative ideas, visualizing, prototyping an evaluating. To create a product in line with the company’s values, such as collaborating, sharing and sustainable growth, Bee Space teamed up with partners who specialize in sustainable and eco-friendly development. At the moment, the company is in the advanced prototyping stage of its wintering slipcover and is preparing a pilot research project on the impact of the slipcover on bee colonies wintering outside in partnership with the Centre de Recherches en Science Animale de Deschambault (CRSAD) and other beekeepers enthused to try this new products.

On July 8, 2021, Espace Abeille™ launched its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to allow beekeepers to pre-order their redesigned new generation of winter hive covers.

145 contributors helped raise a total of $41,320, surpassing the funding goal of $30,000. Despite the challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, Espace Abeille™ successfully delivered all products to the contributors three months after the end of the campaign!

The company is proud to present you the new generation of Bee Space Slipcover™. Thanks to the active participation of our ambassadors and their many constructive comments, we present to you a product designed FOR and BY beekeepers in order to contribute to the improvement of contemporary beekeeping techniques.

The commercial product will be available on our website and at various distributors from August 5, 2021. Stay tuned!