Posted 2 years ago
hotairfan
(385 items)
My wife and I went to a local Pennsylvania German folk festival yesterday, called the "Goshenhopen".
There we saw many PA German artifacts and there were many exhibitors displaying the many ways that they lived in the past.
One display was of a beekeeper, he had several bee skeps on display, some were of European origin, and some were of early PA. origin.
He told me that one noticeable difference is that in the European bee skeps, the entrance for the bees to enter is in the center of the height of the skep. In American bee skeps, the entrance is at the base.
I told him that we acquired an American bee skep at an auction several years ago, and that there was a base with it made from the same woven grass that the body was made from.
He was very surprised and said that he had been bee keeping for 50 years and never saw a base tray. I took photos of our bee skep and accompanying tray to email to him.
I am sure that they were made together, because they both were made from the same woven material, and both had the same age-related patina.
He has another day to display at the show, so I have to wait to hear back from him.
PS. Ironically. my wife said that we purchased our bee skep at an auction in the same local as this beekeeper lives, Harleysville PA.
