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A native Bumble Bee |
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Help Save Our Bees
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| For our childrens future |
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History of BeekeepingThe history of beekeeping is long. It is known as one of the oldest forms of food production, with some of the earliest documentation of beekeeping found around 13,000 BC. In Egypt in particular, beekeeping was well developed and was discussed by many of the Roman writers of that time. It was done mostly for the honey at the time, even though we now know how essential it is for crop pollination. Centuries ago, beekeeping was also used to produce royal jelly and propolis which was used for medicinal purposes, and wax which was used in candle making. Even cosmetics, wood polish and modelling clay were reasons that people got involved with beekeeping. Honey bees come from Europe and have only reached America, Australia and New Zealand in the 1600's, even though they are 30 million years old. They were imported partly for the honey and as a way to pollinate the crops. One of the first species to be imported was the European dark bee which beekeepers found extremely useful. Later, there were Italian honey bees as well as Caucasian bees that were added to the mix. |
However, even during that time beekeepers weren't considered a profession. Most were just hobbyists, farmers, or relatives of farmers. They usually lived in rural areas and the beekeeping that they did on their farm was passed down from generation to generation rather than started from scratch. It was in the 1980's that parasites, mites and small hive beetles almost completely wiped out beekeeping as we knew it. Most of the beekeepers were unable to deal with the new parasites and most of their bees died. In fact, in 2004 there were barely more than 2.6 million colonies left alive in the United States. Canada had about 500,000 hives and Europe only had about 3 million left. Currently the most beekeepers that specifically produce honey can be found in America, China, Mexico, Argentina and Canada. Although not as prevalent as hundreds of years ago, the beekeeping industry now supplies most of the world with honey, wax, pollen and more. Now though there are several different types of beekeepers rather than just farmers. |
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| CONT.... There are the hobbyists that choose to do beekeeping usually for their own honey and wax rather than as a profession. Then there are the sideliners who moonlight as beekeepers for the extra money that it provides them. Finally, there is the commercial beekeeper that uses it as a way to make money as profit and as their only source of income. The modern beekeeper tends to be very active in beekeeping and is well versed in the modern techniques. They may be a member of a bee club and may also raise queen bees for sale instead of just relying on the income made from selling bee products. Most of the bees are still imported from Europe and in New Zealand in particular. The US mainly buys queen bees to replenish the ones that die during the winter, but all over the world, people buy them to start their own colonies, whether for hobby or profession. Beekeepers around the world are trying to build business back up since much of the world's honey has declined in recent years, and although it has not been on the increase yet, the beekeepers are working hard at restarting their dying business. Adopt A Share |
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