Flower Vase Made By Bees

April 24, 2007 10:26 PM

40,000 bees. 7 Days. One Vase.
posted by jonson (18 comments total)

That's a honey of a vase.
posted by jimmythefish at 10:28 PM on April 24, 2007

sorry for that.
posted by jimmythefish at 10:29 PM on April 24, 2007

Bee-utiful.
posted by Roger Dodger at 10:31 PM on April 24, 2007

No apologies.
posted by Roger Dodger at 10:32 PM on April 24, 2007

That's quite cool and amazing.
posted by Eekacat at 10:45 PM on April 24, 2007

That's all well and good... but can those bees also build a crate around the vase? Because crate building bees are where it's at, man.
posted by miss lynnster at 11:13 PM on April 24, 2007

Groobee! Very cool link Miss Lynnster. Also cool vase, Jonson. =)
posted by ZachsMind at 11:27 PM on April 24, 2007

Aganetha Dyck creates similar work; she was featured in an episode of the CBC's The Nature of Things (The Bee Talker).
posted by unmake at 11:43 PM on April 24, 2007

So that's where all the bees went!
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:44 AM on April 25, 2007

The article makes it seem like the bees made the vase from scratch. What actually happened was that sheets of wax foundation, stamped with a thin hexagon pattern were shaped by the artist into the vase, and then placed in a sort of mold hive so the bees could draw out the comb. I am 100% sure that's how it was done, because there are places where the comb is incompletely drawn out. It's clever anyway, but not quite as natural as it makes out.
posted by roofus at 1:32 AM on April 25, 2007

Metafilter: we can overthink a vase of bees.
posted by chuckdarwin at 3:37 AM on April 25, 2007 [1 favorite]

Makes me think of the old joke - two elderly Jewish men are sitting on a park bench, chatting of this and that. One says to the other, "Hymie, you know, ever since I retired I've found the days seem longer and longer. I don't seem to be able to find a way to fill the day."
Hymie pats his friend on the knee and nods sagely, "What you need, my friend, is a hobby."
"A hobby?"
"A hobby. I've got a hobby."
"What's your hobby?"
"I keep bees"
"Bees?"
"Bees." He says, nodding again.
"How many bees?"
His friend thinks about this for a few seconds, "I got 6 million bees."
"6 million bees? That's a lot of bees."
"It is."
"These bees, where do you keep them?"
Hymie reaches slowly into his overcoat and, from the inside pocket, pulls out a matchbox. "I keep 'em in here," he says, and gives the matchbox a little shake.
"6 million bees? In a matchbox?" His friend says, horrified, "But they'll die!"
"It's only a hobby."

That's all I have.
posted by Jofus at 3:59 AM on April 25, 2007

<sinatra>Do bee do bee do.</sinatra>
posted by cerebus19 at 6:12 AM on April 25, 2007

HOLY SHIT. THIS IS AWESOME.

It intersects two things I am fanatically in love with: Art. Bees.

If you'll excuse me, I need to go change my pants. I think I just creamed them.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 6:35 AM on April 25, 2007

Bees are great.
posted by Mister_A at 6:48 AM on April 25, 2007

This truly is the bee's knees.
posted by fallenposters at 9:06 AM on April 25, 2007

I was wondering where those bees went...Artist run bee-labor camps.
posted by elkelk at 1:22 PM on April 25, 2007

Sweet.
posted by Many bubbles at 2:29 PM on April 25, 2007