Skep

[Eristic]

This is what I've been wasting my time on while I wait for the kettle to boil.



When I started, the brambles were out of season so I've improvised with alternative ties, first with cordyline leaves then phormium.

[Eristic]

[manicscousers]

that is brilliant  ;D

[Froglegs]

Like it...will it fit ;)

[Melbourne12]

That IS impressive.  You must drink a lot of tea if you've boiled that many kettles!  :)

[Eristic]

Now there are two. Better construction but the shape is still wrong.

[Hector]

Very impressive!

[caroline7758]

wow!

[Unwashed]

What's it made from Eristic?

[landimad]

Beautiful works of art, but me thinks that ladies day would not be the place to show them off. ;)

[Eristic]

What's it made from Eristic?

Dried grass bound with strips of phormium  (New Zealand Flax) leaf.

[cornykev]

Nice hats, I must get one.  :P       :-X     ;D ;D ;D

[Unwashed]

I'm really impressed, it's such a lovely thing.  Do you make a long sausage of grass and then bind the coils together, or is the sausage itself bound?

Would bees just move in on their own?  Does it have any internal structure?

[Eristic]

Do you make a long sausage of grass and then bind the coils together, or is the sausage itself bound?

Would bees just move in on their own?  Does it have any internal structure?

What I'm doing is feed the dry grass through a small pop bottle with the bottom cut off to make a funnel. When the grass comes out the other end it is bound with a series of hitches. Once the cable is too long to extend any further without leaving the shed, the free end is bound into the shape required starting from the top. There is no structure inside apart from all the free ends of the tie strings. If it were to be used seriously I believe the beekeeper used to poke a few sticks through the sides to give support to the comb.

It is most unlikely bees will come in on their own as there are no bees locally and I am not planning to stock them at this time. Some people have scarcrows, I want something to scare nosy peeps.  8)