IṢẸ́ ỌNÀ
ẸWÀ ÀTI ÌLERA
IṢẸ́ ỌWỌ́
ÀṢÀ ÀTI ÌTÀN
ÌṢERÉ
ÀYÍKÁ
OÚNJẸ ÀTI OHUN MÍMU
REVERSE ENGINEERING
SÁYẸ́ǸSÌ
ERÉ ÌDÁRAYÁ
ÌMỌ̀-Ẹ̀RỌ
ÀWỌN OHUN WÍWỌ̀
Making a Coiled-Straw Bee Skep — The Traditional Beehive Before Wooden Boxes
Karen

Ṣẹ́dá nipasẹ̀

Karen

2. Oṣù Keje 2026SE
41
0
0
1
0

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.
Àárín
8

Ìlànà

1

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.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Rye StrawRye Straw1 ìdì

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

KnifeKnife
2

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.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Split CaneSplit Cane1 ìdì
WaterWater3 lítà

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

KnifeKnife
3

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.

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

Skep Girth GaugeSkep Girth Gauge
4

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.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Rye StrawRye Straw1 ìdì
Split CaneSplit Cane1 mítà

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

AwlAwl
5

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.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Rye StrawRye Straw1 ìdì

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

Skep Girth GaugeSkep Girth Gauge
6

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.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Split CaneSplit Cane1 mítà

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

AwlAwl
7

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.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Rye StrawRye Straw1 ìdì
Split CaneSplit Cane1 mítà

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

AwlAwl
8

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.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Rye StrawRye Straw1 ìdì
Split CaneSplit Cane1 mítà

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

AwlAwl
Skep Girth GaugeSkep Girth Gauge
9

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.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Rye StrawRye Straw1 ìdì

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

AwlAwl
10

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.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Rye StrawRye Straw1 ìdì
Split CaneSplit Cane1 mítà

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

AwlAwl
11

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.

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

KnifeKnife
12

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.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Split CaneSplit Cane1 mítà

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

AwlAwl
13

Trim the skep clean

Trim protruding straw ends and stray cane with the knife to leave a clean rim and an even outer surface.

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tí a nílò:

KnifeKnife
14

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'.

Àwọn ohun èlò fún ìgbésẹ̀ yìí:

Cow DungCow Dung2 kg
Ball ClayBall Clay1 kg
15

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.

Àwọn ohun-èlò

7

Àwọn irinṣẹ́ tó nílò

3

Àwọn Ohun Èlò Ìtọ́nisọ́nà Tí A So Pọ̀

Egyptian Reed Basket — Weaving a Coiled Reed Basket
10% Ìpín

Egyptian Reed Basket — Weaving a Coiled Reed Basket

láti ọwọ́ TexFO

Iṣẹ́ Okùn

73
0
0
0
1
0

Blueprint tó jọra

Àwọn blueprint wọ̀nyí pín ìmọ̀ — ọ̀nà, ohun-èlò tàbí ìlànà

Building a Thatched Lean-To Shelter — Basic Wind and Rain Protection

Building a Thatched Lean-To Shelter — Basic Wind and Rain Protection

láti ọwọ́ SpartanNO

Igbó

31
0
0
0
1
0
Egyptian Beeswax Candle — Making Beeswax Candles with Rush Wicks

Egyptian Beeswax Candle — Making Beeswax Candles with Rush Wicks

láti ọwọ́ YourGrandmaIS

Ẹ̀kọ́ Ẹ̀dá

56
0
0
0
0
0
Honey as a Wound Dressing — The Oldest Antimicrobial Medicine Known to Humanity

Honey as a Wound Dressing — The Oldest Antimicrobial Medicine Known to Humanity

láti ọwọ́ BobBE

Igbó

35
0
0
0
3
0

CC0 Àgbègbè Gbogbogbò

Blueprint yìí ti jáde lábẹ́ CC0. O lè ṣe àdàkọ, yí padà, pín, àti lò láìsí ìyọ̀ǹda.

Ṣàtìlẹ́yìn Olùṣẹ́dá nípa rírà àwọn ọjà nipasẹ̀ Blueprint wọn Ẹ̀san Olùṣẹ́dá tí àwọn Olùtajà gbé kalẹ̀, tàbí ṣẹ̀dá àtúnṣe tuntun ti Blueprint yìí kí o sì fi sínú Blueprint rẹ gẹ́gẹ́ bí ìsopọ̀ láti pín owó-wíwọlé.

Ìfọ̀rọ̀wérọ̀

(0)

Wọlé láti dara pọ̀ mọ́ ìfọ̀rọ̀wérọ̀

Ń gbé àwọn ọ̀rọ̀ wọlé...