Lesson plan

Bee bole

in Aberdeenshire A bee bole is a cavity or alcove in a wall (the Scots word bole means a recess in a wall) for beekeeping. A skep is placed in the bee bole. Before the development of modern bee hives (such as the design published by Lorenzo Langstroth in 1853), the use of bee boles was a practical way of keeping bees in some parts of Britain, although most beekeepers kept their skeps in the open covered by items suitable for the purpose, such as old pots or sacking. The bee bole helped to keep the wind and rain away from the skep and the bees living inside. Beekeeping was a very common activity in the past before sugar became plentiful and affordable as a sweetener. Demand was also high for beeswax for candles, especially from the pre-reformation churches, cathedrals, and abbeys; tithes and rents were often paid in honey and/or beeswax, or even bee swarms.

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Article summary

in Aberdeenshire A bee bole is a cavity or alcove in a wall (the Scots word bole means a recess in a wall) for beekeeping. A skep is placed in the bee bole. Before the development of modern bee hives (such as the design published by Lorenzo Langstroth in 1853), the use of bee boles was a practical way of keeping bees in some parts of Britain, although most beekeepers kept their skeps in the open covered by items suitable for the purpose, such as old pots or sacking. The bee bole helped to keep the wind and rain away from the skep and the bees living inside. Beekeeping was a very common activity in the past before sugar became plentiful and affordable as a sweetener. Demand was also high for beeswax for candles, especially from the pre-reformation churches, cathedrals, and abbeys; tithes and rents were often paid in honey and/or beeswax, or even bee swarms.

Key claims

  1. publication date: 1853 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the publication date is "1853". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1345026241

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.