Bee boles

A bee bole is a cavity or alcove in a wall. A skep is placed inside the bee bole. Before the invention of modern bee hives with movable frames in the 19th century, bee boles were a practical way of keeping bees, which helped to keep the wind and the rain away from the bees living inside. [Adapted from Wikipedia]

Today my two new hobbies came together at Gardening Scotland where I was helping at the stand of the Dry Stone Walling Association. The Scottish Beekeeping Association is celebrating its centenary and hence the reason for the bee boles as an exhibition piece for this big gardening event.

It was very nice talking to all the people who visited our stand, but very hard work at the end of the day clearing away 74 tons of stone into sacks (even with 12 pairs of hands to help)!