Bees can now check in at Kew’s new pollinator hotel

Nestled in Wakehurst Kew’s wild botanic garden in West Sussex, a new installation is unveiled for this summer. ‘Seed Stories’ by visual artist Kristina Pulejkova focuses on the life of seeds, while also serving as a practical contribution to pollinator conservation in the UK.

The installation integrates sustainability, ecological science and digital technology through its four wooden sculptures. Pulejkova designed the pieces not only to serve as artwork but also as hotels for bees seeking refuge in environmentally challenging times.

‘Seed Stories’ by Kristina Pulejkova at Wakehurst Kew’s wild botanic garden

The design is inspired by Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank’s (MSB) collection (the world’s largest underground seed bank and conservation resource for diverse wild plant species). Pulejkova’s functional artworks are constructed from untreated marine ply and cedar, materials chosen for their environmental compatibility and natural antifungal and aromatic properties, are bee-friendly and allow the creatures safety from instances of extreme heat during British summers.

The design of the pollinator hotels is scientifically informed. Pulejkova worked closely with Dr Janine Griffiths-Lee, who leads the ‘Trees for Bees’ habitat restoration initiative. The ‘hotel’ entrances were chosen based on data on bee preferences, colours tailored to the bee’s visual spectrum (favouring blues, yellows and violets, while avoiding reds and greens) The design of the installation enables researchers to collect pollen left behind in the hotels, facilitating the study of which species are attracted to specific tree types.

AR is also integrated into the four sculptures and is accessed via an app. When scanned, each interactive installation presents an educational story about a particular seed from the Millennium Seed Bank, with a focus on the facility’s role in climate preservation, biodiversity and global food security.

By installing pollinator hotels directly into the landscape and aligning them with ongoing scientific research, this project contributes to broader conservation efforts. It offers shelter, promotes biodiversity and acts as a living laboratory for understanding how bees interact with different plants and environments. ‘Seed Stories’ also educates the public, raising awareness of the delicate relationships between pollinators, seeds and the landscape we often take for granted.

‘Seed Stories’ was developed in collaboration with Kew’s ‘Nature Unlocked’ programme, which researches the value of UK biodiversity to inform nature-based solutions to critical challenges such as climate change and food security. Beyond the visually organic design, the installation highlights the interconnections between seeds, the future of biodiversity, and pollinators like bees, whose population is declining at an alarming rate.