This Gorgeous Desk Simulates a Buzzing Beehive

Nature is full of irregular shapes — branching structures and literally organic curves. For that reason, we’re always drawn to more regular geometric shapes, like the facets of crystals, that feel “unnatural.” The hexagonal honeycomb structure of beehives falls into that category, because it seems so intentional. Youtuber Full Stack Woodworking definitely appreciates that structure, as well as the humming vitality of active beehives. That’s why he built this stunning beehive-simulating honeycomb desk that combines traditional craftsmanship with modern technology.

Replicating a honeycomb structure is one thing, but how does one simulate crawling and buzzing bees? The solution here was clever and practical: LEDs. By illuminating thousands of LEDs — 3,745 WS2812B RGB LEDs, to be exact — arranged all throughout dozens of honeycomb panels, it was possible to produce a visual experience that does a great job of capturing the movement in a beehive.

Full Stack Woodworking built the wooden hexagonal panels, which are themselves made up of smaller hexagons, by laminating layers of laser-cut plywood. Optical fiber tubes for the LEDs were embedded in those panels with UV-curing resin, then the panels were filled with two-part epoxy. Facing on a CNC router made the outer faces of the panels nice and smooth.

The LEDs themselves reside on custom PCBs placed underneath each panel. They’re designed so that multiple PCBs can connect together to create long chains of LEDs with injected power.

The control of all of those LEDs is where this project gets really interesting. A Raspberry Pi 5 single-board computer runs custom Python software that sets the color and brightness of each. It does so in a way similar to Conway’s Game of Life. When the simulation first starts, a “queen” chooses a random cell in the honeycomb to place an egg. That incubates while foragers and attendants zip around neighboring cells. As they move through their lifecycles, the hive grows and eventually takes over the entire array of hexagons. The entire process takes days and is different each time, so the visual presentation is always unique.

After verifying that the LEDs worked as intended, Full Stack Woodworking built the structure of the desk using conventional carpentry techniques and power tools. All of the seams and gaps were filled with more epoxy for a smooth top surface, then the entire desk was carefully sanded and oiled to achieve a beautiful finish.

The finished desk is absolutely gorgeous before it even gets power. But once the LEDs come on, The Hive truly bursts into life. Watching the LED “bees” live their lives through the simulation is truly mesmerizing.