bee gums en

Beehives located in a hollow tree or log. The term derives from the use of Black Gum trees for this practice in the southern United States. Natural hollowed trees, often modified by humans, have long been used by beekeepers of Europe; the practice continued in the Americas. Eventually, practice evolved so that harvested sections of hollow trees were set upright in apiaries, often with sticks inserted for support of the honeycomb. As with bee skeps, harvest of honey from a bee gum destroys the colony. For a general reference to bee nests, use the broader "beehives (apiaries)."