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You can design an IKEA Bee Home, but you do not buy it as a finished IKEA product. SPACE10’s Bee Home is an open-source design for solitary bees: you choose a configuration, download the drawings and manual, arrange CNC fabrication (usually through a local makerspace), assemble the parts, and install the finished home in a suitable outdoor location.
The documented workflow is practical, but the project’s interactive generator may not be live or usable at the moment. If the configurator is unavailable, use the official repository’s drawings and Assembly & Maintenance Guide as the authoritative build documents, then have a makerspace or experienced fabricator produce the selected design.
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What the IKEA Bee Home project actually is
Bee Home was created by SPACE10, IKEA’s research and design lab, as an open-source habitat for solitary bees. It is a design system rather than a boxed, ready-made hive. The project gives you plans, fabrication information and care instructions; you supply the wood, production method, mounting hardware and site.
That distinction changes the whole process. There is no standard product to add to a shopping cart, no factory-assembled unit guaranteed to fit your garden and no single “Bee Home model.” The design lets you select dimensions such as height and number of floors, choose how the home will stand, and then generate or download the corresponding files.
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The design credits Tanita Klein, ChipChop (Grasshopper files) and Bakken & Bæck (digital interface). If you share or modify the files, keep the project’s attribution intact. The guide identifies the design as Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), which allows copying, sharing and adaptation when you credit SPACE10, Bakken & Bæck and Tanita Klein, provide a link to the license or project source, and indicate what you changed.
“With the help from a local makerspace with a CNC milling machine, fabricating your Bee Home is very simple.”
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Choose your design before cutting wood
The documented web flow asks you to make three core design decisions: the home’s height, its number of floors and its placement format. The interface is intended to turn those choices into a plan and printable instructions. Because current availability of that interface has not been established, treat it as an optional convenience rather than a prerequisite. The repository drawings and manual are the dependable fallback.
Height and floors
Height and floor count determine how much stock you need and how large the finished structure will be. Select only a size your site can support securely. A taller design needs a stable base or stronger wall fixing, and it may be harder to inspect and clean. Do not assume that a larger home attracts more bees; the project documentation does not make that claim.
Placement format
Pick the mounting style from the start because each version has different site requirements:
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| Format | Where it goes | What you need | Assembly implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standing | On an even, level surface | A stable platform that will not rock or tip | Parts are designed to be fitted by hand |
| Grounded | Directly in soil | Penetrable ground for a spike driven about 20 cm into the soil | Parts are designed to be fitted by hand |
| Fixed | On a suitable vertical surface | A drill and two screws or nails, plus a wall or post able to carry the load | The fixed model is the exception to the no-tool assembly rule |
Choose based on the location you actually have, not on an unsupported promise that one configuration is better for bee occupancy. The guide gives these formats as mounting solutions, not as a ranking of ecological performance.
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Buy or reclaim the right hardwood
The guide specifies one dried hardwood plank. The stock is approximately 3 cm thick, 20 cm wide and 100–300 cm long, with the required length depending on the design you selected.
Recommended species include oak, larch, cedar and mahogany, along with other types of dried hardwood. Choose wood that is locally and sustainably sourced where possible. Ask local carpenters for offcuts, check reclaimed-timber suppliers, or ask the makerspace whether it has suitable scrap. A shorter plank may be enough for a small configuration, while a larger design can require material nearer the upper end of the specified range.
| Use | Material guidance | Reason to follow it |
|---|---|---|
| Structural body and floors | Dried hardwood, about 30 mm × 200 mm, length selected for the plan | Matches the project’s stock specification and provides a durable, machinable body |
| Avoid | Spruce, chemically treated timber, plywood, MDF and OSB | These materials are specifically excluded by the guide |
| Finish | Natural oil on exterior surfaces only | Helps weatherproof the wood without contaminating nest holes |
Do not oil the entrance holes. Finish the exterior after machining, keeping every bee passage free of oil and debris.
Decide how the parts will be fabricated
Route 1: use a local CNC makerspace
This is the recommended route if you do not already know CNC machining. Take the project files, your chosen configuration and the stock specification to a makerspace with a CNC milling machine. The guide says the design files contain the information the fabricator needs. Ask the makerspace to confirm that its machine, workholding method and cutters can handle 30 mm hardwood before you transport material.
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Give the fabricator the exact files for your selected height, floor count and mounting format. Confirm which surfaces will be clamped, how the board will be flipped if both sides require machining, and how the small holes will be deburred. Those planning details prevent a technically correct file from producing an unusable part.
Route 2: machine the parts yourself
Self-fabrication requires more than owning a router. The guide lists a CNC milling machine, a computer with CAM software, a 6 mm end mill long enough to cut through 30 mm stock and a 5 mm end mill for the smaller bee holes. A 45- or 60-degree V mill can be used optionally to carve the Bee Home identification mark.
A suitable purchasing description for the main cutter is “6 mm CNC end mill for wood, long enough to cut 30 mm stock.” Confirm the cutter’s cutting length, shank diameter, collet size, machine speed range and compatibility with your CAM setup before ordering. A cutter alone does not make the project ready to build; you still need a correctly configured machine, safe workholding, dust extraction and a toolpath that matches the supplied files.
Fabricate the Bee Home step by step
- Download the selected plan and manual. Use the official Bee Home repository files when the interactive site is unavailable. Check that the drawing corresponds to your chosen height, floor count and mounting style.
- Inspect and prepare the plank. Verify that the hardwood is dry, flat enough to hold securely and free from treatment chemicals. Measure the 30 mm thickness and 200 mm width before setting the CAM stock.
- Set up the CNC job. Use a 6 mm end mill for the principal cuts, with enough cutting length to pass through 30 mm stock. Program the 5 mm end mill for the smaller bee holes. Follow the machine manufacturer’s feeds, speeds and safety procedures rather than copying a generic setting.
- Machine the parts. Secure the plank so it cannot shift, run the toolpaths, and pause if you see burning, chatter, loose workholding or a cutter that is not clearing the full depth. If the identification mark is included, use the optional 45- or 60-degree V mill specified by the guide.
- Deburr every edge. Remove splinters and smooth the entrance holes. Inspect the passages for chips and confirm that holes are not accidentally closed at the bottom; the guide specifically cautions against bee holes with no bottom.
- Apply the weatherproofing coat. Brush natural oil onto exterior surfaces only. Keep oil out of all nest openings, then allow the finish to dry fully according to the oil manufacturer’s directions.
- Dry-fit the components. Before installing the home outdoors, check that floors, sides and the selected mounting parts seat correctly. Resolve tight joints or damaged edges while the unit is still on the workbench.
Assemble and mount the three configurations
Most Bee Home versions are intended to be assembled with your hands. SPACE10’s guide states: “Assembling your Bee Home requires no tools, just your hands and a few minutes of your time.” It then gives the qualification: “For the ‘Fixed Bee Home’, simply use a drill and two screws to mount it.” If your site calls for nails instead, use the two fasteners specified for that mounting situation and make sure they cannot pull out of the substrate.
Standing format
Place the assembled home on an even, level surface. Check it from several directions for rocking, and choose a spot where routine watering, pets or foot traffic cannot knock it over. The design itself does not replace the need for a stable base.
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Grounded format
Drive the spike approximately 20 cm into soil that can accept it without bending or loosening. Avoid ground that is permanently waterlogged or so compacted that the spike cannot be seated securely. Once the body is attached, check that it remains upright after ordinary wind and rain.
Fixed format
Use a suitable vertical surface such as a sturdy wall or post. Drill and install two screws or nails through the designated fixing points, using hardware appropriate to the substrate. Do not rely on a fragile cladding panel or a fixing that cannot carry the finished home.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Site the home for solitary bees
Put the Bee Home outside in spring, with the entrance facing morning sun. Shelter it from heavy rain and strong winds, keep it at least 1 m above ground, and place it within 300 m of flowers. These are the project guide’s siting recommendations, not guarantees of occupancy.
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Once the home is occupied, leave it in place. SPACE10’s guide warns: “Once placed, don’t move the Bee Home — otherwise female nesting bees will struggle to find their way back.” Plugged entrance holes are the guide’s sign that bees have laid eggs, so treat those openings as active nests rather than blocked ventilation.
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Maintain it without harming developing bees
Clean the Bee Home once a year at the beginning of autumn, when most flowers have gone and most bees have hatched. Do not open or dismantle it at other times merely to inspect progress; disturbing an occupied home can kill offspring.
- Disassemble the home at the recommended autumn window.
- Clean the parts with warm water and a solution of one part vinegar to four parts water.
- Rinse every component with clean water.
- Let all pieces dry completely.
- Reassemble the home and return it to its spring position before the next nesting season.
The guide estimates a Bee Home’s service life at roughly 5–30 years, depending on wood and exposure. It gives ash as an example that may last less than five years and oak as an example that could last up to 30. These are guide estimates, not a warranty for a particular build; inspect for rot, splitting, loose joints and failed fixings each season.
The Natural History Museum notes that pests and disease can accumulate in other types of bee hotels and recommends replacing used canes after new adults emerge. That advice belongs to its cane-based design. The vinegar cleaning method above is the maintenance procedure supplied for the SPACE10 hardwood Bee Home.
Common build problems and how to avoid them
- The CNC machine cannot cut through the stock: check that the 6 mm end mill’s cutting length exceeds the 30 mm material thickness and that the machine can safely reach the programmed depth.
- Entrance holes are rough: deburr and smooth them before assembly; splinters can damage nesting bees.
- A hole has no open bottom: clear the passage and verify the toolpath. The guide cautions against blind bee holes.
- Oil has entered a nest passage: stop finishing that area, remove residue while the product is workable, and do not place the home until the openings are clean and fully dry.
- The standing model rocks: move it to a genuinely level surface or improve the base; do not compensate by wedging unstable objects beneath the home.
- The grounded spike will not hold: choose penetrable but firm soil and reseat the spike to about 20 cm, checking that the body remains upright.
- The fixed model pulls away from the wall: stop using it until the substrate and two fasteners are strong enough for the assembled weight and outdoor exposure.
- You cannot find the online generator: use the repository drawings and manual, and ask a CNC makerspace to confirm which configuration files are complete before cutting.
What to verify before you start
Print or save the selected plan, confirm the mounting surface, source untreated dried hardwood, and reserve machining time with a makerspace if you are not experienced with CNC. Keep the CC BY 4.0 attribution and a note of any modifications so that future users can identify your version. Plan the spring installation and the following autumn cleaning before the home is occupied.
Bee Home is therefore best understood as a small architecture project: an open design that connects digital configuration, local fabrication and long-term stewardship. Its success depends less on buying a particular “bee house” and more on selecting sound material, machining clean passages, installing the right mounting format and leaving the occupied structure undisturbed.
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