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Top Bar/Skep Hives Made With Sunflower Stalks/Weeds, etc.
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This page describes some pretty neat low cost methods for making top bar hives. I really like the idea of the sunflower stalk one and the woven cane one...
"Instead of Pay It Forward I prefer Plant It Forward" ~Howard Story / "God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools." ~John Muir
My Project Page
Not sure about the 'multiple entrances' thing though... Does anybody have experience with that?
"Instead of Pay It Forward I prefer Plant It Forward" ~Howard Story / "God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools." ~John Muir
My Project Page
webpage
We used to keep bees in wooden hives, but top bar hives seem less invasive to both bees and your wallet! If you're using plant stems for the top bar, be aware that size matters! if it's too narrow, or too wide, you can end up with the combs connected, which makes harvesting much more difficult. There is a specific 'bee space' that helps stop this happening, and varies with the size/type of bee you're keeping.
Re straw and bramble hives: I've had a go at making one and the hardest part is tracking down the long wheat stalks that were traditionally used. You basically stuff the straw through a cone whose mouth is the diameter you want for the rolls of straw, then sew each coil to the previous row. I'll look out some more pics, but this is an old Normandie 'ruche en paille' aka (UK) a 'skep' we happen to have hanging up in an outbuilding. We used ours for capturing swarms, and as far as I know you wouldn't generally use it for a colony as you can't easily harvest honey from them. I am almost certain that in times gone by they destroyed the bees in the taking of the honey from these hives.
You could make a cut down version of a top bar hive and attract a swarm f.o.c. April/May is the European season for swarms, and I still haven't got my hive made yet! Ah well, maybe next year?
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Just remember, 'You can, if you think you can'
One of our friends in the village (in his late eighties) just happened to have a grenier full of siegle straw which he gave me a small bale of. Twice the length of modern wheat, but I guess a skep could be made from shorter stuff, using the cone method?
We travel down to Indre two or three times a year, you are kind of en route, would love to call in if it's possible, I've been following your posts with interest. And if you are ever in Normandie...
Lesley
Just remember, 'You can, if you think you can'
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you need a sythe or sickle.
Near Laval I met a chap who makes skeps from grass he collects in a forest not sure which type though. He is 80 plus too
David
Living in Anjou , France
http://www.permies.com/t/80/31583/projects/Permie-Pennies-France#330873
As far as skep hives go, this Modern Farmer article is a pretty good how-to on making a traditional skep hive.
From the article:
"Instead of Pay It Forward I prefer Plant It Forward" ~Howard Story / "God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools." ~John Muir
My Project Page
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These hives, designed by a German sculptor named Guenther Mancke, are works of art!
Here's a Permaculture Magazine article about them.
And tons of pictures from a workshop building a Sun Hive.
"Instead of Pay It Forward I prefer Plant It Forward" ~Howard Story / "God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools." ~John Muir
My Project Page
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http://www.permies.com/t/53945/bees/critters/Sun-hives-build-bees-humans
David
Living in Anjou , France
http://www.permies.com/t/80/31583/projects/Permie-Pennies-France#330873
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