УРЛАГ
ГОО САЙХАН БА ЭРҮҮЛ МЭНД
ГАРААР ХИЙСЭН
СОЁЛ БА ТҮҮХ
ҮЗВЭР НААДАМ
БАЙГАЛЬ ОРЧИН
ХООЛ БА УНДАА
НОГООН ИРЭЭДҮЙ
УРВУУ ИНЖЕНЕРЧЛЭЛ
SCHOOL PROJECTS
ШИНЖЛЭХ УХААН
СПОРТ
ТЕХНОЛОГИ
ӨМСДӨГ ХЭРЭГСЭЛ
Making a Coiled-Straw Bee Skep — The Traditional Beehive Before Wooden Boxes
The bee skep is the coiled-straw beehive that housed honeybees across Europe for roughly two thousand years, from antiquity into the 1800s, before wooden box hives replaced it. Using the same coiling technique as a straw basket, long rye straw is wound into a dome and stitched together with split cane. This blueprint builds a traditional skep by hand — from preparing the straw to the finished, weatherproofed hive ready to house a swarm.
Дунд шат
8
Зааварчилгаа
1
1
Harvest and clean long rye straw
Harvest and clean long rye straw
Cut long rye or wheat straw and strip off the seed heads and leaf sheaths, keeping the hollow stems long and unbroken for strong coils.
Materials for this step:
Rye Straw1 боодолTools needed:
Knife2
2
Split and soak the binding cane
Split and soak the binding cane
Split lengths of cane into thin flexible strips and soak them in water until pliable — these will sew the straw coils together.
Materials for this step:
Split Cane1 боодол
Water3 литрTools needed:
Knife3
3
Make the girth gauge
Make the girth gauge
Form a small open ring about 2.5 cm across (the traditional 'girth', often a cow-horn tip). Straw fed through it keeps every coil the same thickness.
Tools needed:
Skep Girth Gauge4
4
Bind the crown
Bind the crown
Take a small handful of straw, bend it into a tight knot to form the top knob of the skep, and lash it firmly with a strip of split cane.
Materials for this step:
Rye Straw1 боодолSplit Cane1 метрTools needed:
Awl5
5
Feed straw into an even rope
Feed straw into an even rope
Pass straw through the girth to form a continuous rope of even thickness, adding a few stems at a time so the bundle never thins as you work.
Materials for this step:
Rye Straw1 боодолTools needed:
Skep Girth Gauge6
6
Sew the first coils to the crown
Sew the first coils to the crown
Coil the straw rope in a tight spiral around the crown. Push the awl through the coil below, pass split cane through, and pull each stitch snug about every 2 cm.
Materials for this step:
Split Cane1 метрTools needed:
Awl7
7
Spiral outward to start the dome
Spiral outward to start the dome
Continue spiralling outward from the crown, binding each new coil to the one below. The domed top of the hive begins to take shape.
Materials for this step:
Rye Straw1 боодолSplit Cane1 метрTools needed:
Awl8
8
Build the domed wall downward
Build the domed wall downward
Work the spiral down and out to build the wall, keeping the girth on the rope to hold thickness and every binding stitch tight and evenly spaced.
Materials for this step:
Rye Straw1 боодолSplit Cane1 метрTools needed:
AwlSkep Girth Gauge9
9
Keep the courses even
Keep the courses even
Control how far each coil steps outward so the dome stays smooth and symmetrical. Steady, even courses make a strong, weathertight hive.
Materials for this step:
Rye Straw1 боодолTools needed:
Awl10
10
Widen to the finished base
Widen to the finished base
As you near the bottom, let the coils reach the finished diameter of about 35–40 cm — the standard size for a colony of bees.
Materials for this step:
Rye Straw1 боодолSplit Cane1 метрTools needed:
Awl11
11
Cut the flight entrance
Cut the flight entrance
At the lower edge, cut a small entrance notch in a coil so the bees can come and go once the skep is set open-side down.
Tools needed:
Knife12
12
Finish and lock the base coil
Finish and lock the base coil
Complete the last coil at the base, taper off the straw rope, and lock the final binding stitches so the skep cannot unravel.
Materials for this step:
Split Cane1 метрTools needed:
Awl13
13
Trim the skep clean
Trim the skep clean
Trim protruding straw ends and stray cane with the knife to leave a clean rim and an even outer surface.
Tools needed:
Knife14
14
Clom the outside for weatherproofing
Clom the outside for weatherproofing
Smear a thin coat of cow-dung-and-clay daub over the straw to shed rain and seal drafts, then let it dry — the traditional 'clomming'.
Materials for this step:
Cow Dung2 кг
Ball Clay1 кг15
15
Cure the finished skep
Cure the finished skep
Cure the skep in a dry, airy place. Once fully dry it is ready to hive a swarm — set open-side down on a board or stand.
Материал
6- 1 боодолPlaceholder
- 6 метрPlaceholder
Connected Blueprint Materials
You can swap these in
Can't get one of the materials? Swap it for an equivalent — these work just as well.
- Instead of Ball Clay, try:
Refractory Clay
Kaolin Clay Powder
Wild Clay
Porcelain Clay - Instead of Water, try:
Distilled Water (1 Liter) - Instead of Knife, try:
Blunt Collection Knife
Gilder's Knife - Instead of Skep Girth Gauge, try:
Marking Gauge
Stainless Steel 316 Sheet 16 Gauge
Sterling Silver Wire 925 20 Gauge
Wire Tension Monitoring Gauge - Instead of Rye Straw, try:
Stainless Steel Straw Set (8-Pack)
Холбоотой загварууд
Эдгээр загварууд мэдлэг хуваалцдаг — арга техник, материал эсвэл зарчим
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CC0 Нийтийн домэйн
Энэ загвар CC0 дор гаргагдсан. Та зөвшөөрөл авахгүйгээр хуулах, өөрчлөх, түгээх, ашиглах боломжтой.
Загвараар дамжуулан бүтээгдэхүүн худалдаж авч Бүтээгчийг дэмжээрэй Бүтээгчийн шимтгэл Борлуулагчаар тогтоосон, эсвэл энэ загварын шинэ хувилбар үүсгэж орлогоо хуваахын тулд өөрийн загварт холбоос болгон оруулна уу.