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Honey bees play an important role in New Brunswick's blueberry industry. Every spring thousands of hives are moved out to blueberry fields across the province to pollinate blueberry blooms and ensure a great harvest.
For thousands of years, before the box type beehives that you see today, skeps were dome shaped baskets made by coiling a thick rope of dried grasses or straw.
They are empty on the inside with one opening to allow the bees to enter or exit. The bees built combs attached to the walls. In order to harvest the honey, the skeps - and therefore the bees - were destroyed. As time passed, people realized this was unproductive and improvements were made. Skeps are illegal in many countries today. Modern beekeepers use hives that are much less destructive and thus much less disruptive to the bees who live in them.
Our skep was made by Tony Vanhal.
Artifact#:996117
Donated by: Machum McKinney
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