Skep hives are the oldest type of hive used for collecting honey. But, when these were used... an entire community of bees where killed or left homeless whenever the honey was to be collected.
Reasons to still keep skep hives?
- There are some folks who use skep hives to collect swarms of bees safely; but not to raise colonies for collecting honey.
- If you don't intend to collect their honey, these hives are still very nice for the colony you don't mean to disturb in your garden.
- Having a skep hive about will insure that plants and trees are pollinated locally.
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| This faux "skep" hive made from yarn is a bee hive type that would have been kept during the American Revolution. It would be a nice addition to a collection for a Felicity Merriman doll. |
Skep hives are very beautiful to display in a home or garden space, whether that home and garden belongs to a dollhouse or a real home. I have a skep hive displayed in my dining room that once belonged to my mother in law. It is beautifully hand-crafted, but has never been occupied by a single insect as far as I know.
Supply List:
- recycle a "dome" shaped bottle (I used a coffee cream bottle.)
- masking tape
- hot glue and hot glue gun
- twine or yarn (natural color)
- newsprint
- straw
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Cut a dome shape from a recycled bottle. It could be any size you like. Skeps were woven in both small and large sizes. I used the top part of a large coffee creamer container for this old-fashioned hive.
- Cover this clean part entirely with masking tape on the outside surfaces.
- Stuff the inside with newsprint and then mask shut the open, bottom end.
- Beginning from the top, twist/braid yarns together while gluing these directly onto the surface of the bottle all they way down to the bottom.
- Glue on a short straw for the entry to the skep hive and twist a bit of yarn around it.
- Braid a short hanger for the top part of the skep hive and glue it in place.
- Glue on additional tiny clay bees on, if you like.
More About Straw Skep Bee Hives:
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