How To Make a Straw Skep Bee Hive

Central Europe, Westphalia - Plaiting a Straw Hive. Withies are cut, split into three parts and pointed. Rye straw is combed out with a wooden rake, the ears are cut off. The beehive is coiled from a single bundle of straw, which is pulled through a template ring made of cow horn to ensure uniformity of size. The basketry technique is known as "wrapped and pierced coiling" whereby the coil is wrapped and interlocked with the split withies. The bell top is shaped first, followed by the cylindrical walls with the flight entrance for the bees. The finished skep is about 38 cm high.
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[@houstonsheltonbees814]

Great information 👍. I have always wanted to make one just for swarms. Thanks 👍

[@TheOhioCountryboy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@canfratacsu8359]

it was informative video, greetings from turkey ✌️

[@TheOhioCountryboy]

Glad you liked it!

[@ಕುಂದಾಪ್ರಕನ್ನಡಮಾಣಿ]

Can I used this for honey bee keeping even today?

[@willbaack7997]

Nope bees are used to modern hives nowadays.

[@davecavana1031]

This is a far more eco friendly hive as the bees use 15 times less nectar to maintain temps in the hive. Modern thin walled or polystyrene hives are a cold over sized wet drafty disaster as it forces the bees to work far harder to keep the climate right.

[@Dan.Parker]

ofcourse you can

[@weirjwerijrweurhuewhr588]

@@willbaack7997You can keep bees in any enclosure pretty much. It's beekeepers who are used to modern hives. Plenty of beekeepers still keep bees in skeps in the Netherlands and Germany etc. We have one beekeeper here who has 600 colonies in skeps.

[@willbaack7997]

@@weirjwerijrweurhuewhr588 They must not do sarcasm where you are from... lol

[@DirtyHairy84]

He just swept the floor and then you came in and made a mess.