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peggy
6-21-12, 4:20pm
Has anyone here ever built a bee skep?
http://www.colonialsense.com/How-To_Guides/Outdoors/Bee_Skep.php

I was thinking of trying to make one using cattail leaves, as that is what I have in abundance. But maybe they would be too stiff? I guess the first step is cutting some leaves and drying them. I have an old screen door I could put in the rafters of the workshop and dry them there. Actually, the first step is looking up how to harvest and dry cattail leaves! I suppose it would be the same method as for weaving baskets. Any advise would be welcome.
Mrs-M
6-22-12, 1:28pm
How about working the leaves while green?
Float On
6-22-12, 2:10pm
Cattail leaves wouldn't be any stiffer than the wood strips used for basket making. After you dry them make sure to soak them a few hours or overnight before starting to weave.
Tiam
6-22-12, 2:22pm
Have you seen this site? It uses straw http://www.martinatnewton.com/page6.htm
peggy
6-22-12, 2:30pm
That's a good link Tiam. She mentions using willow cane but her link just goes to some music listings. Maybe I'll google that.
Mrs. M- I think I need to dry the leaves first cause that's what they do in preparation for weaving. I think if you weave green, when it dries it will be too loose and from the looks of skeps, you want a good, tight weave.
Mrs-M
6-23-12, 8:01am
Hmmm... good point, Peggy, I never thought of the drying/loosening effect. Are you going to make a wire form to help gauge the design?
peggy
6-23-12, 7:54pm
Naw, i thought I'd just go for it. it's a really simple design, almost like when you are making a braided rug. Just keep coiling and sewing. Well, at least that's what it looks like. We'll see! >8)
Tussiemussies
6-24-12, 5:56am
Hi Peggy, Did notice on the bottom of the page you listed they have two links. Looks like you can get supplies from them. At least the first one I looked at some of the categories on the left seemed to have something similar to what the materials looked like.

Would love to know how this turns out, would be pretty in my house, wonder how it would hold up in a garden outside? Although it did say in the past that beekeepers had them outside but maybe they were in a niche in the outdoor wall or something?

: ). Christine
peggy
6-24-12, 1:00pm
It is a cool link. It says they also used to rub the inside with bee balm to attract the bees. I think I'll set up my screen door on saw horses in the shop this week and cut some cattails.
Tussiemussies
6-25-12, 2:40am
In the past they had so many creative ways of doing things. I love how they used the bee balm to attract the bees.

Keep us posted, I would just love to see how this turns out...is there a little hole where the bees went in and out?
peggy
6-25-12, 10:12am
Sometimes they left a hole near the bottom, or just put the thing up on boards so the bees could go in under the bottom, which is open.
Tussiemussies
6-25-12, 10:31am
Sometimes they left a hole near the bottom, or just put the thing up on boards so the bees could go in under the bottom, which is open.

They were very creative back then... >8)