Bee bole
Encyclopedia
A bee bole is a cavity or alcove in a wall or a separate free-standing structure set against a wall (the Scots
word 'bole' means a recess in a wall). A skep is placed inside the bee bole. Before the development of modern bee hives (such as the design published by Lorenzo Langstroth in 1853), bee boles were a practical way of keeping bees in some parts of Britain, although most beekeepers kept their skeps in the open covered by, for example, old pots, or sacking. The bee bole helped to keep the wind and rain away from the skep and the bees living inside.
Bee keeping was a very common activity in the past before sugar
became plentiful and affordable as a sweetener. There was also a high demand for candle wax, especially from the pre-reformation churches, cathedrals and abbeys. Tithe
s and rents were often paid in honey and/or beeswax
, or even bee swarms.
Bee boles are found across the whole of the British Isles
. Other names were bee holes, bee shells (Cumbria
), bee keps (Cumbria), bee niches (Derbyshire
), bee walls (Gloucestershire
), bee houses (Yorkshire
), bee boxes (Kent
) and bee garths. They were often built close to the dwelling house so that swarms
could be detected and captured quickly; in addition it helped to familiarise the bees with human presence and activity. Honey was often stolen, so keeping the bees close to the house helped to deter this, together with the use of a padlocked metal bar that served to both prevent the removal of a skep from a bee bole and to hold a wooden board across the front when the bees were overwintering.
The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were the heyday of bee bole construction, especially on large country house estates. The shapes of old bee boles can sometimes be seen in walls where they have been filled in with brick or stone, with only the outline remaining.
The International Bee Research Association maintains a comprehensive record of bee boles in the UK and Ireland. Started by Dr Eva Crane in 1952, the Register contains paper records for 1480 sites (as at 12 June 2009), and photographic prints, transparencies and/or digital images for most of them. To improve accessibility to the records and to encourage conservation and further recording, the Register was put into a database and made available online in 2005. This work was organized by Penelope Walker.
Surviving bee boles are often made from easily-worked stone (such as sandstone
) or brick. The base that the skep sits on is variable in design, circular, semi-circular or square and occasionally has a protruding lip for the bees to land on when they return from foraging. The hole in the skep faces onto this lip. The example at the Queen's Head in Tirrel, in the English Lake District
, has sandstone slabs placed vertically and horizontally to produce several cavities for skeps. An ornate example set into a wall at Kersland House in Stewarton
, Ayrshire, Scotland was an alcove with carved decorations.
Sometimes larger bee boles, or 'bee alcoves' are found, which would take several skeps. It may be that examples such as at Craufurdland Castle in Ayrshire
were built for wooden hives and not skeps. South-facing walls with bee boles inserted ensured drier and harder-working bees, as the warmth lengthened the day for these 'cold blooded' insects.
Many farms and ordinary homes had bee boles, however, with the advent of the Stewarton and Langstroth hive
s, skeps eventually ceased to be used. Bee boles were no longer made and those that survived are often used for decorative purposes, their original purpose long-forgotten.
The arrangement of 'hedge alcoves' sometimes seen in formal gardens may be a form of bee bole, such as at Erddig
Hall in Clwyd
, Cymru.
At Hodge Close, near Tilberthwaite in Cumbria
are square and rectangular bee boles set into a drystone wall, facing south to get as much warmth as possible; sheltered from the winds by the thickness of the wall.
At Ladyland Castle
in North Ayrshire the bee bole recesses are square and set into the north facing surviving wall of the building, now a walled garden.
could be obtained; however they were often used to ensure pollination
of fruit trees, etc. This explains why bee boles are frequently found in walled and flower gardens belonging to country houses. Brodick Castle
on Arran
has fine examples of bee boles and skeps in its walled garden. A number of skeps were sometimes placed on a frame supported by staddle stones
to keep mice and rats away. In many parts of Britain, however, bee boles were essential to keep the skeps dry and well aired, especially on the east coast of Scotland (More 1976).
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
word 'bole' means a recess in a wall). A skep is placed inside the bee bole. Before the development of modern bee hives (such as the design published by Lorenzo Langstroth in 1853), bee boles were a practical way of keeping bees in some parts of Britain, although most beekeepers kept their skeps in the open covered by, for example, old pots, or sacking. The bee bole helped to keep the wind and rain away from the skep and the bees living inside.
Introduction
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
became plentiful and affordable as a sweetener. There was also a high demand for candle wax, especially from the pre-reformation churches, cathedrals and abbeys. Tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s and rents were often paid in honey and/or beeswax
Beeswax
Beeswax is a natural wax produced in the bee hive of honey bees of the genus Apis. It is mainly esters of fatty acids and various long chain alcohols...
, or even bee swarms.
Bee boles are found across the whole of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. Other names were bee holes, bee shells (Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
), bee keps (Cumbria), bee niches (Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
), bee walls (Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
), bee houses (Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
), bee boxes (Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
) and bee garths. They were often built close to the dwelling house so that swarms
Swarming (honeybee)
Swarming is the natural means of reproduction of honey bee colonies. A new honey bee colony is formed when the queen bee leaves the colony with a large group of worker bees, a process called swarming. In the prime swarm, about 60% of the worker bees leave the original hive location with the old...
could be detected and captured quickly; in addition it helped to familiarise the bees with human presence and activity. Honey was often stolen, so keeping the bees close to the house helped to deter this, together with the use of a padlocked metal bar that served to both prevent the removal of a skep from a bee bole and to hold a wooden board across the front when the bees were overwintering.
The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were the heyday of bee bole construction, especially on large country house estates. The shapes of old bee boles can sometimes be seen in walls where they have been filled in with brick or stone, with only the outline remaining.
The International Bee Research Association maintains a comprehensive record of bee boles in the UK and Ireland. Started by Dr Eva Crane in 1952, the Register contains paper records for 1480 sites (as at 12 June 2009), and photographic prints, transparencies and/or digital images for most of them. To improve accessibility to the records and to encourage conservation and further recording, the Register was put into a database and made available online in 2005. This work was organized by Penelope Walker.
Bee bole design
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
) or brick. The base that the skep sits on is variable in design, circular, semi-circular or square and occasionally has a protruding lip for the bees to land on when they return from foraging. The hole in the skep faces onto this lip. The example at the Queen's Head in Tirrel, in the English Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, has sandstone slabs placed vertically and horizontally to produce several cavities for skeps. An ornate example set into a wall at Kersland House in Stewarton
Stewarton
Stewarton is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In comparison to the neighbouring towns of Kilmaurs, Fenwick, Dunlop and Lugton, it is a relatively large town, with a population of over 6,500. It is 300 feet above sea level.Groome, Francis H. . Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Pub. Caxton. London....
, Ayrshire, Scotland was an alcove with carved decorations.
Sometimes larger bee boles, or 'bee alcoves' are found, which would take several skeps. It may be that examples such as at Craufurdland Castle in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
were built for wooden hives and not skeps. South-facing walls with bee boles inserted ensured drier and harder-working bees, as the warmth lengthened the day for these 'cold blooded' insects.
Many farms and ordinary homes had bee boles, however, with the advent of the Stewarton and Langstroth hive
Langstroth hive
The Langstroth bee hive, patented in October 1852, is the standard beehive used in many parts of the world for beekeeping. The advantage of this hive is that the bees build honeycomb into frames, which can be moved with ease. The frames are designed to prevent bees from attaching honeycombs where...
s, skeps eventually ceased to be used. Bee boles were no longer made and those that survived are often used for decorative purposes, their original purpose long-forgotten.
The arrangement of 'hedge alcoves' sometimes seen in formal gardens may be a form of bee bole, such as at Erddig
Erddig
Erddig Hall is a National Trust property on the outskirts of Wrexham, Wales. Located south of Wrexham town centre, it was built in 1684–1687 for Joshua Edisbury, the high sheriff of Denbighshire and was designed by Thomas Webb....
Hall in Clwyd
Clwyd
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...
, Cymru.
At Hodge Close, near Tilberthwaite in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
are square and rectangular bee boles set into a drystone wall, facing south to get as much warmth as possible; sheltered from the winds by the thickness of the wall.
At Ladyland Castle
Barony of Ladyland
The Barony of Ladyland was in the old feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Kilbirnie in what is now North Ayrshire, Scotland.- The history of the Barony of Ladyland :...
in North Ayrshire the bee bole recesses are square and set into the north facing surviving wall of the building, now a walled garden.
Purpose
The ultimate purpose of a bee skep was to house bees so that honeyHoney
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
could be obtained; however they were often used to ensure pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
of fruit trees, etc. This explains why bee boles are frequently found in walled and flower gardens belonging to country houses. Brodick Castle
Brodick Castle
Brodick Castle is a castle situated outside the port of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It was previously a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.-Early and High Mediæval:...
on Arran
Isle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...
has fine examples of bee boles and skeps in its walled garden. A number of skeps were sometimes placed on a frame supported by staddle stones
Staddle stones
Staddle stones were originally used as supporting bases for granaries, hayricks, game larders, etc. The staddle stones lifted the granaries above the ground thereby protecting the stored grain from vermin and water seepage...
to keep mice and rats away. In many parts of Britain, however, bee boles were essential to keep the skeps dry and well aired, especially on the east coast of Scotland (More 1976).