The beehives draw on the tradition of the Bannkorb, a type of straw beehive used in Northern Germany, particularly in the Lüneburg Heath, from around the 16th to the 19th century. These hives were fitted with masks depicting grotesque or threatening faces, believed to ward off evil and protect the bees. Degeyter reinterprets this tradition through references to folklore, popular culture and contemporary subcultures. The masks feature corpse paint patterns associated with black metal. The hives are intended for the European dark bee (Apis mellifera mellifera), the native honeybee subspecies historically found in Belgium. Developed in collaboration with vzw Zwarte Bij and Imkerij Sprookjesbos, the project supports the conservation of this subspecies and its place in the local ecosystem. Rather than focusing on honey production, the hives are conceived primarily as living structures for the bees. The construction combines traditional techniques with contemporary materials and methods. The bodies of the hives are built by coiling natural rope, and afterwards covered in loam clay, a technique comparable to that used in historical hive construction. The masks, by contrast, are produced using 3D printing, while metal binders hold the structures together. These different processes bring historical forms into contact with present-day modes of production. The works connect to different ideas of protection, from the folkloric function of the mask to the practical shelter for native bees provided by the hive itself. References to black metal introduce imagery associated with darkness and mortality, while the hives' function connects the sculptures to the conditions required for another species to live. Traditional beekeeping structures, subcultural imagery and conservation efforts meet in objects that consider the relationship between human intervention and non-human life.