Understanding Natural Beekeeping from a Skep Apiary

[apisbees]

Although bees are not a domesticated livestock they are being kept in manageable hives with in contained areas due to beekeepers apiary site selection locations. But to understand the bees and how they are created to survive in nature, we need to look at their natural biology and how it works to let them survive as a species. One of the systems of beekeeping that parallels the bees  natural systems is Skep Beekeeping.
This video series explains how bees Survive, Thrive, and Reproduce in a more natural environment that the bees were created to live in.
Let’s keep in mind that Bees in nature are programmed to create new colonies and gather enough stores to survive the winter and dearth times of the year It is helpful in understand the process of swarming and the way the bees are created to reproduce and make new colonies. Swarming is a natural preprogrammed part of the yearly life cycle of the hive. We, as beekeeper, want to manipulate the hives to have stronger colonies which will collect larger surplus crops of honey that can be harvested. We do this by stopping the bees from swarming. In this IWF Documentary about a Heather Skep Apiary in Central Europe, Northern Lower Saxony, they take you through a year of Skep hive beekeeping. They use swarms as a way of making new colonies like we use packages. Then using swarm control to facilitate getting a honey crop. Their honey source is from the Heather plants that cannot be extracted with normal extractors so the combs needs to be crushed and pressed to get the honey.  Video sections 3 & 4 deal with how bees swarm and the difference between prime and cast swarms.

In nature all hives will swarm every year so every hive will have the queen replaced every year. Bees tend to start swarming during the slow down in nectar gathering between spring pollination and the onset of the main honey crop. Keep your bees busy buy giving them space in the brood chamber to raise more brood. A young queen that is capable of laying large amounts of brood that the hive has to take care of. Add extra honey supers so the emerging bees don’t over populate the hive.

Here are links to videos on Skep beekeeping that is close to how bees behave in nature. With out having to cut open a tree or rip open a wall to get to the honey.
Heathland Beekeeping - 1 - Spring Work in a Heather Skep Apiary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upbONroWPic&feature=plcp

Heathland Beekeeping - 2 - Preparations for the Swarming Period in a Heather Skep Apiary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrehDfkazO0&feature=plcp

Heathland Beekeeping - 3 - Work in a Heather Skep Apiary during the Prime Swarming Period
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7M1X0bWYyo&feature=plcp

Heathland Beekeeping - 4 - Work in a Heather Skep Apiary during the Cast Swarming Period
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA5pY8hOEj4&feature=plcp

Heathland Beekeeping - 5 - Summer Work during the Heather Blossom in a Skep Apiary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pb4WxxLTq0&feature=plcp

Heathland Beekeeping - 6 - Autumn Work in a Heather Skep Apiary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M788T26WIlY&feature=plcp

Heathland Beekeeping - 7 - Harvest of Heather Honey in a Skep Apiary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDn3DnjpY1A&feature=plcp

Heathland Beekeeping - 8 - Bees' Wax Pressing in a Traditional Apiary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zogqbqQnyE&feature=plcp

[LazyBkpr]

woo! Time to make a rum and coke!!   Thanks Apis!

   well, rubbing the cow dung on the outside wouldnt be a pleasant task....

   watched all 8 of the vids.. quite enjoyable. Thanks!!

[Bsweet]

Have watched(more than once)the Heathland vids and they are great. Jim

[apisbees]

Updated links that should work

Although bees are not a domesticated livestock they are being kept in manageable hives with in contained areas due to beekeepers apiary site selection locations. But to understand the bees and how they are created to survive in nature, we need to look at their natural biology and how it works to let them survive as a species. One of the systems of beekeeping that parallels the bees  natural systems is Skep Beekeeping.
This video series explains how bees Survive, Thrive, and Reproduce in a more natural environment that the bees were created to live in.
Let’s keep in mind that Bees in nature are programmed to create new colonies and gather enough stores to survive the winter and dearth times of the year It is helpful in understand the process of swarming and the way the bees are created to reproduce and make new colonies. Swarming is a natural preprogrammed part of the yearly life cycle of the hive. We, as beekeeper, want to manipulate the hives to have stronger colonies which will collect larger surplus crops of honey that can be harvested. We do this by stopping the bees from swarming. In this IWF Documentary about a Heather Skep Apiary in Central Europe, Northern Lower Saxony, they take you through a year of Skep hive beekeeping. They use swarms as a way of making new colonies like we use packages. Then using swarm control to facilitate getting a honey crop. Their honey source is from the Heather plants that cannot be extracted with normal extractors so the combs needs to be crushed and pressed to get the honey.  Video sections 3 & 4 deal with how bees swarm and the difference between prime and cast swarms.

In nature all hives will swarm every year so every hive will have the queen replaced every year. Bees tend to start swarming during the slow down in nectar gathering between spring pollination and the onset of the main honey crop. Keep your bees busy buy giving them space in the brood chamber to raise more brood. A young queen that is capable of laying large amounts of brood that the hive has to take care of. Add extra honey supers so the emerging bees don’t over populate the hive.

Here are links to videos on Skep beekeeping that is close to how bees behave in nature. With out having to cut open a tree or rip open a wall to get to the honey.
Heathland Beekeeping - 1 - Spring Work in a Heather Skep Apiary


Heathland Beekeeping - 2 - Preparations for the Swarming Period in a Heather Skep Apiary


Heathland Beekeeping - 3 - Work in a Heather Skep Apiary during the Prime Swarming Period


Heathland Beekeeping - 4 - Work in a Heather Skep Apiary during the Cast Swarming Period


Heathland Beekeeping - 5 - Summer Work during the Heather Blossom in a Skep Apiary


Heathland Beekeeping - 6 - Autumn Work in a Heather Skep Apiary


Heathland Beekeeping - 7 - Harvest of Heather Honey in a Skep Apiary


Heathland Beekeeping - 8 - Bees' Wax Pressing in a Traditional Apiary

[robo]

I watched some of these videos a while back. Quite fascinating and thanks for sharing them again.

Just goes to show how backwards beekeeping has gone in the last 100 years.  Dung covered skeps have twice the thermal conductance ratio of a wooden Langstroth, but still only 1/2 of a hollow tree.

[Jacobs]

I guess beekeepers must begin the search for better dung!  A cure for AFB wouldn't hurt either.