These handwoven wicker bee skeps are wonderful summer objects of interest. Display them in your home or porch. Skeps are a popular feature in garden art and home decor. Also love the pops of color in these new garden pillows and down filled designer ivy fabric pillows in beautiful neutral soft colors.
A domed shaped basket often made of straw or dried grass; the bee skep is one of the most iconic representations of beekeeping. Beekeepers used these handmade structures to house honey bee colonies for thousands of years. No one knows for sure where the idea of this hive design began. The word skep is thought to have come from the Nordic work – “skeppa” – a basket measure of grain. While straw is the most common material, skeps were also made using clay in parts of Egypt. In some areas, early skeps were made of wicker and covered with a mud plaster. Honey bees are not native to North America. They were brought over by early colonists. The new world offered an abundance of wood and few artisans skilled in skep construction.
