Here's something very different.
Made by Doris Swartz, who lives in Newville, PA, USA, this skep is made from catmint stalks.  It's not intended for bees but purely as art for decoration. Doris has a garden full of catmint and now has a new use for it.

Skeps made by Charles Kennard, who lives in California. The roof is thatched with reeds from the Sacramento River. Charles also makes reed boats! 
How do these people make such beautiful work?

Two more of Charles Kennard's skeps.

Skeps made by Sean Johnson who lives in Scotland.  Sean started with a "skep kit" I sent him by post and has rapidly progressed, following instructions on the SKEPMAKING page but solving problems for himself.
If you have messages for Sean or other contributors I will pass them on.
Use the CONTACTS page to send me an email.

David Chubb from Gloucestershire skep making at the British Beekeepers' Spring Convention in 2006. David makes a wide variety of skeps.

Small skep as an experiment made by Joy who lives in Washington state, USA.
The skep is made from cattail and bound with brambles.

Double skep made by Charles Kennard in California.  Charles uses the Harding grass visible in this photo as his straw material. Harding grass (Phalaris aquatica) comes originally from the Mediterranean region .  A double skep like this makes it possible to remove some honey from a colony without destroying the brood nest in the main body of the skep.

 

Just completed, another of Charles Kennard's beautiful skeps, this time a wedding-gift skep copied from one he found in a museum in the Netherlands. The pictures show three stages in the making of the skep, which has an outer cover and a special top, as well as being cloomed over a wicker frame. Incidentally, the photos also show that Charles took his time perfecting this skep - photo 1 has green leaves in the background, 2 has yellowing autumn leaves and 3 has no leaves. The skep was finished on January 2nd or 3rd 2010.  Happy New Year, Charles.