Making a Medieval Bee Hive out of Straw | Anglo-Saxon Skep Coiled Basket Weaving
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
- The Anglo-Saxons kept bees, most likely in skeps or willow hives. A skep is a coiled straw basket, which is still used today to catch swarms.
Honey was a valuable resource in the Early Medieval period, along with beeswax. Bees were kept in apiaries of many skep hives. The skeps were kept small to encourage swarming, and increase the number of hives in the apiary.
To make a skep requires dry straw or durable grass, and some form of cordage. Many cordages can be used, from waxed linen to willow bark. Young bramble vines were used to lash this skep.
Bramble vines were pulled and gathered, kept as long as possible, and stripped of their leaves and thorns. Threshed, but uncombed, thatching straw was used.
The skep is started by tying an overhand knot into a flexible bramble vine. Three straws are then laid alongside this knot. The bramble vine is wrapped around the straws and pushed through the centre of the knot. This wrapping continues until the straw is wrapped one length round the knot.
Then begins the adding of extra straws to build up the diameter of the straw coil. Only one or two straws are added per wrap at this stage, as the bramble vine continues to wrap around the coil.
Once the coil is large enough, the bramble wrapping is pushed through the previous coil to and sewn tight secure it. The holes are made with the help of an awl.
As the coil gradually increases in diameter, a small cord is tied around it as a guide for the final diameter of the straw coil. This diameter is up to the skeppist, but varies between one and two inches and can be made to suit use, climate, durability and so on.
Once the coil reaches its full diameter as it is wrapped and sewn to form the skep, extra straws are added at around two to four per wrap, to maintain the thickness of the skep walls.
Skeps can be flat topped, or domed. This skep is domed, with an inner diameter of about 14 inches, which reduces slightly towards the bottom of the skep to 13 inches, to add extra strength to the comb within.
When a length of bramble vine runs out, it is secured by wrapping it back on itself and tucking the end in. The new length of bramble vine is wrapped around the previous wrapping before continuing as normal.
Skeps are usually 14-15 inches tall. Just before the required height is reached, the coil diameter is reduced by reducing the number of straws added, until no more straws are added, and the tapering end of the coil is carefully wrapped to create a flat base.
Straw skeps can be left as they are or daubed with a thin layer of animal dung as a showerproof, insulating layer. Either way, skeps need to be protected from wind and rain with either a straw hackle or a bee bole.
A temporary straw cone hackle was made to protect this skep, until a proper bee bole can be made. The skep was placed upon a simple wooden stand with a carved entrance, and baited with lemon balm to encourage a wild swarm.
With thanks to:
Herknungr, Musician, playing 'Spekð'
Grzegorz Kulig, Silversmith, for making the pattern-welded knife.
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Hi all! You can check the subtitles and description for much more detail. Thanks for watching, and many thanks to Herknungr for the music 'Spekð'! If you like what I do and want to support me further, consider becoming a patron: www.patreon.com/gesithasgewissa/
i allways remember the subtitles after ive seen the video, could you perhapse put a reminder in the video at the begining please and thanks for the content, allways educational and entertaining
You know, you haven't got the worst job in the world. 😉
@@ddoherty5956 It's not bad huh? 😄
@@gesithasgewissa let's just say you have more sense than me 😉👍
Would love to know the total time in hours for this to be made by one person. For instance by indicating periodically the time involved at different stages of construction.
I never knew why cartoon beehives looked like that. Never seen bees build anything similar.
Wild bees in Britain tend to build their hives inside hollow trees ☺
I saw an empty wasps nest once which looked like a little mini cartoon one with just two humps if you get me. But it was like paper or tissue. Glad it was empty cos i grabbed it thinking it was some kind of flower 😂
@@Padraigp 😳glad luck was on your side with that one! Yeah wasps make papery nests from chewed wood mixed with saliva
@@gesithasgewissa indeed!!! Another time my kids ran through a wasp nest and they got up his jumper and he got stung quite a bit it was scary we were running through the woods at top speed like we had seen a wolf!
@@Padraigp That happened to me as a kid; starting building a shelter on a forest wasp nest 😄
I had never seen a medieval beehive before, and it was only from watching this take shape as you crafted it that I realised that the mental image most of us have of a beehive (the yellow rounded stepped type ones we most often see in kids books or computer games) are clearly based on this design. It’s pretty much become a racial memory lasting thousands of years at this point.
It's probably because the modern style of bee box, was only invented in the 1850's.
It's a lovely image ☺
What's a "racial memory"?
@@isaaca6445 It's another name for Genetic Memory;
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_memory_(psychology)
@@Slye_Fox it’s closer to collective memory or memetics than genetic memory, passed down through social communication such as oral or artistic tradition rather than through DNA.
Genetic memory would be something like the inate fear/anxiety of being in the dark, a genetically inherited reaction that’s a throwback to when our pre-human ancestors were prey animals. 😊
I'd love to see a follow up video with an actual bee colony in there and harvesting the honey.
Me too, hopefully I can get some bees this summer or next spring.
@@gesithasgewissa Then it's mead time🤣
@@gesithasgewissathen put it at 3m high and put some raw propolis and a bit of citronella essence in it. If there is a swarm in the neighborhood you have a very good chance of catching it.
I remembered that they had bees on Tudor farm (you can watch on RUclips) and went and looked and they do show the inside and how they harvested.
It's the episode about being a pig farmer, starts at 28 minutes.
I adore videos like this. People frequently seem to equate Britain's dark ages with famine, war and death yet seemingly forget many people still just lived their lives and did what they needed to survive.
This content is super informative and high-quality, lovely to see.
In spite of the lack of technology and lack of food security I like to believe people of the medieval era may have been happier than we are today. Only needing to concern themselves with their village and their family rather than the whole world with everyone connected all the time.
I very frequently take walks close to a farm near my house just to get away from phones, computers and the like. It's very calm and quiet, just like these videos.
I think along similar lines. There was plenty of happiness to be had back then too, despite a lot of threat and insecurity. Apart from the warring elites, many free villages where people were simply working the land might have been quite peaceful a lot of the time. Thanks for sharing!
You have no idea how long Ive waited for someone to give a simple video of making a skepp! Finally!
Haha 😄 glad I could help!
You have now reached a level of cool that most people aspire to, known only as "Bee-keeper cool".
Haha, my life's ambition!!
@@gesithasgewissa No BS, all bee keepers i know do have some mad outdoorsy skills. or learn them along the way.
Bee's are in general not very aggressive. but they are no pets. they are wild, well organized creatures. one does not simply "keep" bees. you co-exist with the bees.
to do so successfully, you will have to understand their place in the great circle of life :).
Honestly, he kinda looks to be beekeeping aged
It was delightful to see the Skep taking shape and the interesting use of available materials. A good job you had stout gloves for the bramble harvest! Even in my lifetime, the height of wheat and barley straw has been reduced to a fraction - the older varieties would be good for thatching and for this work. I had four ash chairs made in 2003 with rush seating - still in perfect order. It was fascinating to watch them change colour as they dried. The use of grasses for the weaving of basket structure crosses cultures. as i type at this table, a woven grass fruit basket is in daily use - it was bought home by my father in 1959 from Samoa. As good as new! It was good to see you and you skills on the Sutton Hoo boat film recently posted!
Thanks Ian. It's such a beautiful craft, and baskets are so damn useful! I'd like to try growing some tall heritage wheat myself soon. Yes, I worked on the project for a year as a shipwright, before I started making these videos! All the best to you.
Some very nice welding glover from 1600 years ago?
The stitching is so nice and tight, almost looks machine-made?
Must have been an early export model from the Tang Dynasty?
@@CCRoselle 😄😄😄 I mean I did buy them, but I can actually stitch that well by hand 😋
Thank you for this video,
Watching this was so calming ^^
i went straight back to childhood there.
I remembered seeing my father sitting in the garden, with his long hair, and wild beard. Weaving these to use as portable beehives.
i would sit with him and watch him. it was so fascinating as a child, while hearing the stories about how ancient this technique was.
Wow, he sounds like a cool dad! Thanks for sharing
It was interesting to see your work with the Sutton Hoo boat reconstruction. There were some very talented people doing some very remarkable things in years past.
Thank you.
Thank you. I worked there as a shipwright for a year before starting this project.
This is hands down one of my favourite RUclips channels.
Glad to hear it!
Once again, I'm fascinated by watching you work. I didn’t imagine twisted grasses for a skep - I saw them in my mind as plank-built, like a box. The meadow grasses are much more available, aren't they, and possibly not even more time-intensive.Thank you for the great description and identifying the materials - I know the writing takes a lot of time.
I hope you can show us all how you get the honey out of there, too!
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you, and I'm glad you enjoyed the description. Here's hoping some happy bees move in and I can show them to you all!
Hi Alec, I stumbled upon a video from an outfit named Time Team documenting a reconstruction of the Sutton Hoo ship. I was at first surprised when you showed up in it for a minute or two, but then came to my senses that of course you'd be involved in such a project given your demonstrated interests on your personal channel. You were born 1400 years too late. Carry on and best wishes.
Hi! Yes, I worked as a shipwright on the Sutton Hoo reconstruction for a year before starting this project. It was a great job! But I had more Anglo-Saxon 'living' to do, so I started making these videos 😃Best wishes to you.
I beg to differ: He was born at just the right time to preserve and teach essential skills that would otherwise have been lost
Yoooo!
I have been watching Time Team videos for some time but only the classics.
I have got to check out the new show if Gesith is on it.
Frankly i was a bit wary about the reboot considering the current social climate in the west wrt inserting modern social issues into historical research.
The source of the hive icon. The way things are going we may need these skills.
Indeed!
Skepps are a fantastic way of connecting to culture, but they're a pretty terrible way to keep bees. Most importantly, there's no way to check on the hive or harvest honey without destroying the hive. Langstroth-style hives can be opened and harvested from without bothering the bees too much.
@@gillablecam Post the video showing how to build them. I didn't know there was a name for them. I'm sure they are complicated with details nobody but Bee Keepers know about.
@@gillablecam Skeps and their hives don't need to be destroyed to harvest honey. There are multiple ways to harvest, including cutting away a small amount of honey and comb, adding a super (mini skep) on top, or coaxing the bees into a new skep before harvesting. If I do get a wild swarm, I will prefer the first two methods which focus on taking a small amount of honey, leaving enough for the bees to overwinter, and not over-exploiting the hive.
@@gesithasgewissa Beautiful last line in that reply. It's crucial wisdom, & humans have not all ever heard such a thing, at all. Being respectful & thoughtful has vital practical purposes, for the balance & well-being of nature, & so for our own & our spirits too. I'm glad to have found this channel.
This was so peaceful to watch. Very lucky to have actual camera footage from the 600s
Thanks. I know, big props to the time travelling camera man!
I was playing this video out loud and had to stop it after just a few minutes, because my two cats heard the birds singing in the background and now they're running around the house like lunatics looking for the birds 😅😂 Now I'm watching it on mute, lol.
Haha! Cute!
That's beautiful. Thanks for doing the English subtitles too. I had no idea that's how they attracted bees.
Happy to! It's good to have the information there for people who want it
This is great! Ive made needle and sinew baskets with the same basic technique! Love the idea of using straw for bigger things. Might even make one for an earthen oven armature!
Weaving is such an incredible skill to learn and share. ❤
Making one for a cob oven frame is such a good idea!! I'm planning to make a cob oven soon, maybe I'll try it.
So great to see people keeping these heritage skills alive for future generations to learn about and enjoy (and hopefully carry on). According to the Heritage crafts website bee skep making is an endangered ‘red list’ craft with only 6-10 professionals in the UK still doing it. Keep up the good work 🐝
Wow, only 6-10! I agree, it's so important to keep these crafts going and hopefully see them expand and thrive, especially in the face of so much uncertainty in the modern world.
This is cool. I hope to see updates on the hive (like if it actually attracts bees naturally or if you had to move a swarm, and how harvesting from it works). Thanks for the video!
In those days they harvested the honey by killing the hive. That is why modern day hives are the norm. You can harvest withoit killibg the hive.
I will keep you updated. I'm hoping for a natural swarm, but may try catching one too!
@leviathanmdk This isn't necessarily true, there is plenty of evidence for cutting small amounts of comb, adding supers, or encouraging bees into a new skep before harvesting. None of these kill the hive. Modern day hives are far easier to extract from, but this encourages exploitation in my opinion.
Even if that is true, The problem still is in much of the world it is illegal to use.
@@ConnorMainwold That part, In Florida you have to have removable frames in a hive so they can be inspected for it to be legal
This video is better than 98% of youtube content.
Thank you!
I kept bees in my youth and had up to 14 colonies. This video is so awesome to me.
14! Inspirational, that gives me hope!
@@gesithasgewissa I got me an extractor and would sell my honey in HS, neighbors and Church. One of the things I did that made me a successful adult. ;-)
Thank you for sharing this interesting video.
I hope the bees cooperate with you and your hives will be productive.
May God or the Gods bless you with honey, wax and mead (the latter product is certainly the most appreciated among the Anglo-Saxons)
Thank you friend, for your kind words. May you be blessed by God and all the gods also!
In my experience with making beehives is that especially getting that bell shape is tricky.
Nice to see how other people do it with local raw materials, thanks for sharing.
Yeah it takes a bit of concentration to keep in even. Glad you found it interesting!
Wow thank you RUclips for randomly suggesting this channel. This was fascinating to watch. Can't wait to see it with a colony!
Glad you enjoyed it, and I can't wait either!
It might look like a long and finicky process to moder people, but remember that they didn't have internet, tv or even books back then. That's a patience and skill most people lost unfortunately.
Slow living!! 😄
I see this as a winter project, something to do sitting by the fireplace waiting for spring planting 😂❤
@@FireHeart2829 It's a good one! Along with spinning, sewing, weaving and so on
...so that's where the symbol for beehive comes from!
Fingers crossed you do get bees this summer, and that you can keep the hive viable over the winter. Thank you!
I hope so, I'll keep you all updated! Thanks for watching
The problem with this ancient type of skep is that you couldn't really get the honey without severely damaging or destroying the hive. In the middle ages the entire colony was sometimes drowned and sometimes "sulphured".
The development of the box hive was in part done to overcome that wastefulness.
But I gather that expert beekeepers are adept with straw skeps and kill bees.
@@DanBeech-ht7sw Skeps and their hives don't need to be destroyed to harvest honey. There are multiple ways to harvest, including cutting away a small amount of honey and comb, adding a super (mini skep) on top, or coaxing the bees into a new skep before harvesting. If I do get a wild swarm, I will prefer the first two methods which focus on taking a small amount of honey, leaving enough for the bees to overwinter, and not over-exploiting the hive.
Medieval beekeepers kept skeps small to encourage swarming, so that they could catch swarms in new skeps and grow their apiary. I would also like to encourage swarming without catching them to boost wild bee populations in the area.
It's worth remembering that modern beekeeping methods on a large scale often include overexploitation and sugar feeding which damages the bees internally and their immune systems. But we can learn to take the best things from all the different methods.
Encouraging swarming to ‘boost wild bee populations’ does nothing to help the biodiversity of the multitude of native bee species, it can even make things worse for others by flooding area with competitors. It’s like releasing a bunch of farmed rabbits and claiming to help rewild mammals.
@@sjl197 As I'm baiting this hive, I'm hoping to get a native dark bee swarm moving in. I have seen a quite few in the area. Nowadays, the yellow-black banded domestic honeybees are feral and naturalised in Britain (and have been since Roman times), so even their swarms, creating more feral hives, increases pollinators. That's not ideal, but better than no wild bees at all. Even if I buy bees, I will buy a native dark bee swarm...not to worry ☺
Great job of the skep👍 nice floor and weather cover too.
Thank you!
Behold, the most content freeman in all of Britain.
I am quite content 😄
Another fantastic episode my friend. You are truly talented, and are reviving ancient skills to future generations.
Thank you very much!
I can't believe the bees used to do it like that, they are so much more inventive than we give them credit for
Indeed, bees and beekeepers alike!
It was just beautiful to watch this come together.
Thank you!
This is an incredibly useful resource to have. As industrial agriculture becomes increasingly difficult, low tech methods like this can greatly increase the yields of polycultural food forests. These don't rely on industrial solutions to help bee populations. Gods bless you fraendi.
Thank you, and well said, I couldn't agree more!
@@gesithasgewissa glad to hear it! A lot of the productions surrounding anglo-saxon culture and ancient germanic cultures in general tend to be alt-right douchebags who use the culture as a weapon, so it's good to know this isn't one of them.
Such a nice project, thanks for sharing.
So far, I've never seen a straw one, just the willow and clay ones. Those hold up a lot longer, I guess.
Also nice ambient music at the end.
These are perhaps a bit more insulated too? Thanks for watching!
May Trophonious bless your efforts and hospitality.
Thank you kindly!
If i were a bee, I'd live in there.
Haha, glad to hear it! Thank you
**pictures large woven hut** 😂 I'd play in one like a kid! ...I could always claim it's for storage, or an art project, yeah, that's it, lol. Make a straw floor... 😁
As if I didn't already dig the shit out of you🌻😆!
As a Permaculturist/Extreme Gardener🌻, THANK YOU for recognizing how valuable and important our little pollinator friends are🐝🐞!!
this was lovely to watch, I had so much fun and really liked seeing this style of traditional hive done! Good job btw😉it's beautiful!
May you have many blossoms and much honey and wax in your Future, friend!
Haha thank you 😆 great to hear you are interested in permaculture. I'm always having to appreciate our pollinators. Medieval folklore casts them as faeries which I feel is quite fitting! Thank you for the kind words, blessings to you too.
This was fascinating! When I watch your videos it always comes to mind how most of us modern people look at a field or patch of wilderness and just see pretty scenery, but our ancestors saw bedding, roof material, a beehive, home building materials, etc. I think we’ve really lost something in having lost that appreciation for and utility of nature. How would you get the honey without destroying the bees/hive? Please keep us updated ❤
It's true, and fascinating to think about how ancient people viewed their landscape. I know when I was working on the Sutton Hoo ship, I suddenly started seeing prows, keels and frames in every curve and crook of an oak tree, haha. They would certainly have been 'embedded' in the landscape, knowing how best to work with the land.
Skeps and their hives don't need to be destroyed to harvest honey. There are multiple ways to harvest, including cutting away a small amount of honey and comb, adding a super (mini skep) on top, or coaxing the bees into a new skep before harvesting. If I do get a wild swarm, I will prefer the first two methods which focus on taking small a amount of honey, leaving enough for the bees to overwinter, and not over-exploiting the hive.
Medieval beekeepers kept skeps small to encourage swarming, so that they could catch swarms in new skeps and grow their apiary. I would also like to encourage swarming without catching them to boost wild bee populations in the area.
I will, and thanks for the great questions!
Amazing talent you have. I wish you every success in attracting a new queen into your hive
Thank you! I hope so!
That's very cool. I think it's funny that I've never seen a real mediaeval hive before but I've seen it depicted that way in cartoons and stuff.
The symbol is very persistent!
This was very interesting. I didn't know how they made these. I live in Utah in the US. It's called the bee hive state. This style of hive is on our state flag. Also my last name ends with bee and I also collect bee hive honey jars. The kind for the kitchen. Thank you.
Lovely, I didn't know that, thanks for sharing!
this video has made my heart warm, thank you for doing what you are doing, keeping our history and story alive (against all odds it seems) what did do to be sat in your position right now! cant wait to now binge watch your stuff ahah
Glad to hear it! Thank you for the kind words, it's a pleasure to be able to share these projects with you
I’m amazed at the cinematography skills they had in medieval Europe!!
Right?! Clever folk, these Saxons..
That was mesmerizing. I didn't think I'd watch the whole thing! I was hoping you'd wear it as a helmet at one point... Maybe I'll do it myself, then fill it up with sticks and straws and turn it into an insect shelter for the winter.
As a helmet 😆 that would have been fun!
Other beekeepers recommend using a small phial of lemongrass oil in / on the hive to attract a swarm. Apparently they find it very attractive.
I have used lemon balm, which is native to Europe and has a similar effect ☺
i was wondering "cool now... how to get the bees to use it?" thank you for this!! it makes the most sense to use some good smelling flowers or plants to attract bees!
I have a skep I got from a retired beekeeper which I use to catch swarms. It has never let me down bees really seem to like them
Very cool! I didn't get any bees this year, but I'm still hopeful for next spring
There are a number of issues with keeping them in a skep which is why they got replaced with hives with frames, so dont recommend it. they will quickly outgrow it and swarm often, you can't check combs easily for disease and the only way to harvest honey is by removing and destroying the comb they worked so hard to build. I strongly advise not to try and keep them in there but they are fantastic for catching bees that have swarmed as I said.
@@carollane8694 Medieval beekeepers preferred the small skeps, to encourage swarming and grow their apiary; more hives of a smaller size.
Skeps and their hives don't need to be destroyed to harvest honey. There are multiple ways to harvest, including cutting away a small amount of honey and comb, adding a super (mini skep) on top, or coaxing the bees into a new skep before harvesting. If I do get a wild swarm, I will prefer the first two methods which focus on taking a small amount of honey, leaving enough for the bees to overwinter, and not over-exploiting the hive.
There are a number of beekeepers in Southern Britain who still keep bees in skeps. It is a more hands off method; with the idea of allowing the bees enough honey to maintain the health of their hive and overwinter. A more 'wild' way to keep bees. I don't mind losing swarms if it helps boost feral bee populations and I'd like to try it as it's common to my area.
Absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for preserving such an important skill!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching
A very informative video, there are several materials which can be used, briar was once popular as the binder, and thatchers straw. Some years ago I considered making these for a living.
Thanks for watching!
That was fascinating. I always wondered how this classic hive was made.
Glad you enjoyed it!
10:26 Totally plausible except for the lemongrass which wouldn't have been available to Saxon's in Brittain in the Early Medieval period. Instead they would have used a piece of old black brood comb and some propolis. Nice job, well done!
Lemon balm, rather than the asian lemongrass. Lemon balm is native to the Mediterranean and may well have been introduced to Britain by the Romans as they used it for hives and a sacred herb in the worship of the cult of Diana. I would definitely have liked to have used brood comb, but didn't want to risk spreading disease as I read that can be an issue. Hopefully I can find some propolis though. Thanks!
This is why I live this channel
Glad to hear it!
Always happy when you release a new video. Great work, keep it up mate
Glad to hear it, thank you!
Absolutely amazing work and how you took the time to weave it all together in such detail is most definitely 💯 special guaranteed!
Keep up the great work brother!
Thank you very much!
If a medieval person had bees, they had fertilised crops, bees wax, and honey. It would have been a blessing. Could you make a video on collecting honey and bees wax, and maybe candle production. Imagine having beeswax candles to light the interior of your home on dark winter evenings. Honey is a natural antiseptic, and could have been used to treat wounds. Could you make a video on wound care using honey and yarrow?
Thank you. Great videos. Im enjoying your series.
Absolutely, I will. Unfortunately I didn't get bees this year but I'm hoping to change that this spring!
Geuinly enjoyed watching that. I really hope you manage to attract a hive, it'd be amazing to see what type of bees it attracts.
Keep up the great work mate.
Thank you friend! I'm hoping for some native dark bees, we'll see...
That's so cool. You can fine tune the size of the entrance with that sloping cut in the base so wasps etc can't fit through! Such a clever old design. I'd bet the hives increased the harvest of crops too.
I see you, elasticated leather gloves :) Seriously though, you can strip thorns from vines by passing the vine around a handy tree and sawing back and forth. If you're careful, you don't need gloves at all
It's pretty ingenious! The gloves are simply sewn from leather and linen, no elastic :) ooh that's a nice idea though, and it makes them flexible at the same time, thanks!
Wer! That is really good. I suspect you have not made many of these which would make this even more impressive. Multi-talented and skilled my Wer.
Thank you, and yes, this is my first one!
Just came across your channel; I found your video format very relaxing, and interesting to watch. The subtitles were a good idea.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Wow beautiful craftsmanship! I’d love to see that full of comb
Thank you. You and me both!
Love the work this channel does, also interesting to know the weird shit i did as a kid could have a practical application
Always experimenting! Thanks for watching
Thank you, really clear info for an item of great appeal to many, and that stand is perfect. Here in the Sonoran Desert I can find very similar materials. I imagine it was women who first made skeps.
Glad it was helpful!
I never got notification you'd put out a new video, but thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thanks for watching!
Where I live there are invasive Himalayan blackberries, somewhat larger than English brambles. Weaving like willow baskets I've made about six laundry baskets out of them. They make great gifts. I've noticed something odd though: while women make baskets of all sizes, all over the world men's baskets all seem to go to the same size and shape, no matter what technique they use, cylindrical, and as tall as their knees and as wide as their shoulders. I can try to make a different shape and they come out that size anyway as if its embedded in male DNA. Your bee skepp is no exception. You've got a little practice hive, but your real one is close to the shape of a washer tub or dryer tub. (So washers and dryers were designed by men?)
I've tried but I can't make a coiled basket. There are French videos out about how to make a bee skepp, did you use rye straw like the French do or is that some other straw?
ı spend 90 days to building cooking and survival on the
Great use of invasive species! This is wheat straw, left over from thatching the house.
Fascinating stuff and incredible work. Super cool channel
Thank you!
This is an amazing art. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Absolutely love this channel it never disappoints!
Glad to hear it!!
Awesome video, so simple and beautiful. For a few minutes we are transported into the mists of our history. Please follow up and let us know how the hive works and what the honey was used for. Hint some honey mead would sure be tasty.
Thank you, I'm glad this feels immersive in that way. I'll definitely be doing follow up videos when there's anything to show! Ooo mead....tempting...
Absolutely mesmerizing video!! I love learning medieval history and how people lived then! Also, please tell me you’ll update us if bees do move in
Thank you, it's truly fascinating! I definitely will do an update when there is one.
I love it when you post a new video, and this one definitely shows just how versatile your skills are. I suppose living at this point in time, you would have to turn your hand to making or mending anything. I notice you used modern gloves to strip the bramble vines, I assume that’s what they were? What would our ancestors have used do you think? Thank you for sharing your video with us.
Yes indeed, most people living on the land had to rely on a variety of different crafts! The gloves aren't really modern, they are tanned leather stitched with linen thread, which could easily have been made back then. The earliest evidence we have for leather gloves in Medieval times is in iconography of falconers. Similar leather hedge-layer's mitts and gloves have been used up until recent times. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for explaining this, that’s very interesting and gives a real insight and perspective into past lives.
I feel this channel may be influenced by the Primitive Technology one. And I really like the idea, regardless of the inspiration. I think learning how things were done in history is very important for building a better future
It definitely is, he's a major inspiration! Very well said.
Wow...! Job nicely done. I hope we can also see the bees at work and the results of their job.
Thanks, I hope so too! I'll post any updates, for sure.
RUclips’s certainly done the right thing recommending this channel, absolutely love it!
Glad to hear it! Thank you
Excellent work! I’d love to see a follow-up video when the bees start producing.
Thank you. That'll definitely be coming if a swarm moves in!
As someone who has bees, this is really cool!
Thank you, hopefully I'll have some too soon!
@@gesithasgewissa forsooth! I hope you have some way of talking out the honey without being stung because that's not fun lol
@@DragonsAndDragons777 what if you lit a small bit of straw bundled up tight and then used the smoke from that?
Maybe too much of a risk of setting the hive on fire haha.
I've often wondered how these things were done and how long they took. It's incredible to me that a skill that would have originally taken days to learn can now be picked up in 10 Min... Shame I dont have access to the materials to go and get physical practice.
That was the aim, to try and show the process as clearly as possible in case people want to have a go! Glad you enjoyed it ☺
One of the coolest things I've seen in a long time.
🖖💚🐝
Thank you!!
AMAZING BEAUTIFUL, I learned a lot. Big thanks 🙏🏻 ❤
Glad to hear it! Thank you
I'd love to see a crossover with the Saving The Beeeeeeeeeees lady
That would be cool!
very satisfying to watch!
Glad to hear it
Your settlement is awesome.
tell me, do you live this life day in day out?
What peace and tranquility you must find there.
It is such a peaceful spot! I stay there while filming my videos yes, it's beautiful.
This is mind boggling! Obviously we know they had honey in ancient Britain, but somehow the concept of medieval beekeepers was just never something that occurred to me. How on earth did they collect the honey without protective suits while the bees were probably angrily trying to sting them to death? And so much work goes into that! How did you even learn how to do that? (I'm assuming it's mostly historically accurate.)
Now to once again test my Cicely Mary Barker based flower knowledge: I can only think that the purple flowers at the beginning are harebells (I can't imagine bluebells being that wide or that purple.) The pink flowers must be stitchwort (I didn't even know they COULD be pink, and gorgeous shot with the closeup of the flowers with you in the background), and I think the white flowers next to the beehive in the end would be elder flowers? There are a lot of flowers that look similar to those but that one's my best guess
That's still for us to find out I suppose, gonna be some risky archaeology 😁 that said, there are many modern beekeepers who don't wear suits. But medieval equipment could have been heavy wool gowns, wicker face guards and smoking leaves. Take a look at medieval beekeeper suits on google, it's quite something!
They are bluebells, just a close up shot, and these native ones are beautiful purply-blue. You're right on the elder and the pink flowers are red campion ☺
@@gesithasgewissa Dang, so close! 2 out of 3 isn't bad though lol. Cicely has a Red Campion fairy but it doesn't show up very much in the books that her estate has published, so I'm gonna try and forgive myself for that one
@@fallonfireblade4404 I'm still very impressed with your plant identification, especially over a screen which is hard 😃
@@gesithasgewissa Thank you! It's a lot easier to remember plants when you've grown up with images of them with their flower fairies in your mind 🧚♀️
Beautiful work!
Thank you!
I like the greek vetsion. Basicaly a round basket with a lid. But with strips of woid placed on top of the basket to guide the bees when they build thier frames
That's cool, I'll take a look at those
This is awesome, thank you. I can’t wait to see how it works out. I’m definitely going to try to make one! Subbing never felt so right.
Welcome! You should definitely try, it's really fun
I had no idea, why beehives often drawn like this, and now I know how to make this thing! Remarkable. I wonder, what bees have to say (well, dance) about this little shelter. I hope, they will find such a nice place acceptable.
In case you're collecting questions for a Q&A video/post about the build, what was totally unexpectable in your project? What worked as intended, and what didn't worked as you thought it should? What was the most inspired and the most depressing in the project?
Hopefully, they'll like it enough to move in, we shall see! Thanks for the questions, I'll think about a sharing a Q&A at some point ☺
A follow up on how to attract a spin off colony to use this hive would be interesting.
That would be really great. If I can manage to film it, I definitely will. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attract a swarm this year, but I'm hopeful for next spring.
Fascinating! Why an awl, though, and not a bone or wood needle for the vine? It seems like that might be less fiddly, but in fairness I've never tried to make a skep.
As the bramble is stiff enough to poke through, it is its own needle! I think you might struggle more with a needle as putting the bramble through the eye creates double the thickness to pull through. It would probably fray and break a lot.
wow. really cool! 👍 nice work!
Thank you!
That was neat! Hopefully it works! It is a beautiful creation!
Thank you Ian!
Another great video. I've managed to get some long straw and will attempt to have a go myself.
Fantastic, best of luck with your skep!
Now I understand the behive shape shown in some old cartoons.
Yes 😄
“I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.” - William Butler Yeats 🐝
Beautiful poem!
did people ever make hives out of wood or pottery? both seem like theyd be a lot easier to make. Do the bees just not like them? Do they keep in too much heat? would this type of hive need to be destroyed to get the honey?
Edit: I really enjoyed the video and the final product looks great!
Yes I believe there were baked clay beehives used by ancient Mediterranean, Egyptian and Middle Eastern cultures! This is just a guess, but they may not provide enough insulation to have been used in Northern Europe.
Log and tree hives have also been used extensively across Eastern Europe and may have been used in the west as well. Logs are hollowed out or notches cut into living trees to house the bees and their comb. Log hives are great insulators and arguably the most 'natural' managed hive.
Skeps and their hives don't need to be destroyed to harvest honey. There are multiple ways to harvest, including cutting away a small amount of honey and comb, adding a super (mini skep) on top, or coaxing the bees into a new skep before harvesting. If I do get a wild swarm, I will prefer the first two methods which focus on taking small a amount of honey, leaving enough for the bees to overwinter, and not over-exploiting the hive.
Medieval beekeepers kept skeps small to encourage swarming, so that they could catch swarms in new skeps and grow their apiary. I would also like to encourage swarming without catching them to boost wild bee populations in the area.
Thanks for the great questions!
I lived where Wilshire met Oxfordshire by that hill with the horse in your logo for 3.5 years
Very cool! It's a beautiful area
Straw bee skeps are still made in the UK, but in very few places. They are much warmer for the bees, the only real drawback is getting the resulting honeycomb out without damaging the skep.
They are! Yes, I've never done that before, but there are some skep beekeeping courses near me which I'm planning to go to, which will help hopefully
this is the most beautiful video i have ever seen.
Thank you!!
I think I made a “rag rug” once using a similar weaving style except the straw was braided bits of fabric kind of all braided together to form a long strip and the bramble was thread. It had that same wrapping around and sewing into previous coil pattern except it ended up flat.
Was it hard to hold all the pieces together at the very start of the project? It looked like that might have been tough trying to keep the straw and briar and coil all held together as the first few passes were woven. I’ve had crafting projects like that where I felt like I needed about four more hands. The end product looks just exquisite! I hope very productive bees make a good home in it. 🐝
That's cool, I've been thinking of making some straw mats with a similar technique. It is really fiddly at the beginning yes, but after two or three coils it starts to hold itself together. Thanks for sharing!
Don't know if can ask questions but how did people of the time use honey? Did it affect the teeth like sugar being cause of tooth decay? Fascinating videos on how our ancestors lived & worked
To sweeten and preserve foods as well as medicinally. Honey is just sugar so it will cause tooth decay, but it wouldn't have been eaten in large quantities like sugar today
Thou hast firm-set arms. I do lack to bear 'em ❤❤❤
Hah! Thanks!
Very Nice, I love the reenactment approach, to nitpick while being helpful I would suggest making leather or wool mittens for next time, they are easy to make, would make for a good diy video and are more accurate to your period. You can base yourself on many scandinavian finds, I don't really know about english finds but considering the vendel influence in england the technology was quite similar anyway :)
By the way I used the same gloves you do for blacksmithing, they are awesome but I let them outside too long and they rotted away... take care of them
Thanks for the advice!