Trees, Skeps, Gourds, and Clay

Pre-industrial/ALTERNATIVE beekeeping in various regions AND AGES

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 10-11:30AM PST

In the 1800s Lorenzo Langstroth invented a beehive that would revolutionize beekeeping, and become the standard hive used in many parts of the world. In the United State, if you say beekeeping, the white boxes with their filling cabinet style frames are what immediately come to mind.

However, all over the world, there are a myriad of traditional hive styles that have been used to support the bees. In some regions they are clay, in others they are logs or stumps, in others they are woven baskets. In this lecture we will view a number of slides and learn about hive styles from various regions, as well hive styles from the ancient world. In doing so, we will learn how many these alternative hive styles can support a more natural or bio-region sensitive approach to beekeeping.