Beekeeping

For thousands of years, the bee, Apis mellifera, lived alongside people who always sought the best way to harvest honey. Although called "domesticated", there have been no modifications to the behavior or instincts of bees, which remain unchanged, as if they were wild. Instead, beekeepers have learned about bees and adapted their work based on their behavior, providing bees with effective support for colony life and nectar harvesting, exporting honey, pollen, royal jelly and propolis in return. In ancient times, people would simply look for hives built from wild swarms. the Egyptians were perhaps the first to understand that bees could manage better if given a hospitable place to build their nest. The invention of the modern hive radically changed the relationship between bees and humans, allowing the collection of honey without damaging the colony and leaving the necessary quantities of honey for their survival during the winter: of the 200 kg produced each year by a colony of bees, the beekeeper will export a not more than 30 kg. Beekeeping is an ancient art, which has passed under the mouth and with immediate experience, and includes anticipation, silence, failure, error and success. Only with the respect of bees and their nature, only with their observation and humility can we learn, to be good beekeepers.