Bee Boles

[Les E]

HI All,
A couple of months ago I was working in a 2 acre garden in Midlothian I cleared some thick Ivy away from a section of old wall(before the nesting season I hasten to add)!I uncovered four Beeboles(old behive wall recesses).The house and garden used to be the property of a kirk across the road.I know of other Beeboles close to Roslin Chaple but Ive not seen them up close.
Regards Les,

[The Woodman]

What a nice find, Les E.

These are fairly unusual I believe and before the days of hives, a bee skep was situated in each bole. Each colony of bees was sacrificed for the crop of honey in the skep in those days.

I know of one similar bole in a garden just north of Hawkshead but there must be many out there.

[hobble]

[url=http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/archive/showphoto.php?photo=99684][/url

That must have been very exciting finding those.
There are some very nice ones that were discovered at Heligan here in Cornwall.

[Jez]

Please excuse my ignorants. I've not seen the likes of these before and can't make out from the photo's to what they actually are! Hives that where made in numbers in buildings where honey could be extracted from the inside or other?

Cheers jez

[Hedera]

Skeps are made of twisted and plaited straw, and look like an upturned eggcup, about 12-15" tall with an entrance hole and a base. The bees build their own combs inside and fill them with honey. Each space in the bee bole had a skep in it. The bees were smoked out to obtain the honey and the skep broken open. There are regional patterns for skep=making.
There is a very large bole in Hartpury college in Glos. which came from a large estate; I have seen the one in Heligan and there is a small one in Ruskin's garden at Coniston, Lake District.
I was very interested in your picture.

[Jez]

Originally Posted by Hedera

Skeps are made of twisted and plaited straw, and look like an upturned eggcup, about 12-15" tall with an entrance hole and a base. The bees build their own combs inside and fill them with honey.

I know exactly what you refer to as a skep now. Thanks

[Meta menardi]

Deep in my archives, I have a photo from 1950's of bee skep places. Give me time.