Samuel Linnaeus's storified skepSamuel Linnaeus (1718-1797), brother of Carl von Linné (Linnaeus) the
taxonomist, published his book Kort men Tillförlitelig Bij-Skjötsel1
in 1768, from which the two pages presented here were scanned.2
The hive illustrated in the bottom right of the plate below is
a storified skep that has been extended with circular ekes each fitted with spales
(thin wooden sticks) to provide anchorage for the comb.

Lithograph A
A common hive in the old style
L, L, L, L spales
G ring under the hive
n the entrance or flight hole
Lit. B
Smaller hive, suitable for subsequent and small swarms, comprises
upper (I) and lower (K) sections and wooden plug (h) at top.
Lit. F
Inside view of a ring showing crossed spales
Lit. O
Wooden floor with alighting area (top)
Lit. P (bottom left)
A loose bottom made of straw
p opening of 5 inches (circa 12.5 cm) in diameter
Lit. C
h wooden plug
D lid or top section of hive
E, E, E rings
Reference
1) Samuel Linnaeus, Kort men tillförlitelig bij-skjötsel
(Brief bit trustworthy beekeeping manual), Wexjö, 1768, reprinted in facsimile 1975.
Acknowledgement
We thank Erik Osterlund for drawing our attention to this material
and supplying the scan. |