Honey was a valuable resource in the Early Medieval period, along with beeswax. Bees were kept in apiaries of many skep hives. The skeps were kept small to encourage swarming, and increase the number of hives in the apiary.
To make a skep requires dry straw or durable grass, and some form of cordage. Many cordages can be used, from waxed linen to willow bark. Young bramble vines were used to lash this skep.
Bramble vines were pulled and gathered, kept as long as possible, and stripped of their leaves and thorns. Threshed, but uncombed, thatching straw was used.
The skep is started by tying an overhand knot into a flexible bramble vine. Three straws are then laid alongside this knot. The bramble vine is wrapped around the straws and pushed through the centre of the knot. This wrapping continues until the straw is wrapped one length round the knot.
Then begins the adding of extra straws to build up the diameter of the straw coil. Only one or two straws are added per wrap at this stage, as the bramble vine continues to wrap around the coil.
Once the coil is large enough, the bramble wrapping is pushed through the previous coil to and sewn tight secure it. The holes are made with the help of an awl.
As the coil gradually increases in diameter, a small cord is tied around it as a guide for the final diameter of the straw coil. This diameter is up to the skeppist, but varies between one and two inches and can be made to suit use, climate, durability and so on.
Once the coil reaches its full diameter as it is wrapped and sewn to form the skep, extra straws are added at around two to four per wrap, to maintain the thickness of the skep walls.
Skeps can be flat topped, or domed. This skep is domed, with an inner diameter of about 14 inches, which reduces slightly towards the bottom of the skep to 13 inches, to add extra strength to the comb within.
When a length of bramble vine runs out, it is secured by wrapping it back on itself and tucking the end in. The new length of bramble vine is wrapped around the previous wrapping before continuing as normal.
Skeps are usually 14-15 inches tall. Just before the required height is reached, the coil diameter is reduced by reducing the number of straws added, until no more straws are added, and the tapering end of the coil is carefully wrapped to create a flat base.
Straw skeps can be left as they are or daubed with a thin layer of animal dung as a showerproof, insulating layer. Either way, skeps need to be protected from wind and rain with either a straw hackle or a bee bole.
A temporary straw cone hackle was made to protect this skep, until a proper bee bole can be made. The skep was placed upon a simple wooden stand with a carved entrance, and baited with lemon balm to encourage a wild swarm.
With thanks to:
Herknungr, Musician, playing ‘Spekð’
Grzegorz Kulig, Silversmith, for making the pattern-welded knife.
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