Engraving of bees leaving their bell-shaped hive, known as a skep made from some type of grass, reed or rope. This type of hive was cheap and easy to construct. In its simplest form, there is a single entrance at the bottom and there is no internal structure provided for the bees and the colony must produce its own honeycomb, which is attached to the inside of the skep. It has the disadvantage that it is difficult to harvest the honey. The technology of beekeeping has remained fairly constant throughout the centuries. Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper (or apiarist) keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive (including beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly), to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers. A location where bees are kept is called an apiary or "bee yard". Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. Beekeeping practices encourage overproduction of honey so the excess can be taken from the colony. Honeybees weren't native to North America. They were brought over by the English colonists in the early 17th century.