Skep Hives

Skep hives originated in Germany and were brought to Britain by the Anglo Saxons. Skeps then were adopted in favour of the wattle and daub wicker hives previously used to keep bees in. They were protected from bad weather by a straw "Hackle" which sat tent like over the skep or the skep was set in an inset in a wall called a bee bole. Later, in the East of England, several skeps were kept in Dutch style Bee Houses. They are of course fixed comb hives and the beekeeper had to assess them by hefting to establish which were heavy enough to overwinter, which were too light and which to harvest the honey from. The beekeeper could drive a colony into another skep by inverting it under another, holding it over with "Driving Irons" which held the skeps in place. The bees would simply walk up into the new skep when the beekeeper "Drummed" the lower one. The combs, brood and honey were cut out of the old skeps and were mashed and strained through a "Honey-Poke".

Photo of Skep Making

Return to Home Page